October 9, 2025 • 52 mins
Can You Start Stand-Up in Your 40s? Tara Brown Did—And It Changed Everything
In this episode of My Crunchy Zen Era, we sit down with comedian Tara Brown, who first tried standup comedy at 45 and ended up leaving her corporate PR job to become a stand-up comic. Her story is about starting late, staying true to yourself, and finding real success through connection, not clout.
We talk about:
1. Taking a big creative leap later in life
2. Building a comedy career without going blue
3. The power of mentorship & community in stand-up
4. Redefining success as impact, not fame
5. How a corporate background can fuel creative work
Tara shares her fall-off-the-stage moment (literally), the accidental Kill Tony set that changed how she writes, and the fan encounter that redefined her “why.”
If you’ve ever wondered if it’s too late to try something new—or if you can do it without burning out or selling out—this one’s for you.
Subscribe now and join this exploration of what it means to live a happy life in an increasingly complicated world.
Recommendations:
- Bosch TV Show
- How to Get Things Done, Stay Focused, and Be More Productive (The Mel Robbins Podcast - September 3, 2025)
Guest: Tara Brown
Connect with Nicole:
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- Bon Charge Affiliate Link - Get some red light and block those nasty EMFs!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
What is something crunchier than that you've done
lately?
SPEAKER_04 (00:03):
You know what I do every night is I listen to
meditation music to go to sleep.
Oh, where do you listen?
SuperZen.
So there's an app called InsightTimer.
And they have all of these greatuh sounds.
You can listen to you got whitenoise, you got water, you got
campfire and all this stuff.
So I love water.
So I'm always listening to somewater to sort of put me out.
(00:25):
And it's it feels good.
SuperZen.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (00:27):
When I um my mom and I, you know, we're in Scotland
and we stayed in like a dormroom.
Oh and I was like, mom, like Ihave got to have something on
like white noise.
And I was like, turned it way upon my phone, and she was like,
turn it down.
I was like, okay, sorry.
SPEAKER_04 (00:46):
She's not a white noise person.
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
I guess not.
SPEAKER_04 (00:48):
Yeah.
She's probably just I found whenI've shared a room with my mom,
if we've gone away, and I putbecause I sleep with this thing
every night.
If I put it on, she's she's goesto sleep before I do.
unknown (00:58):
That's nice.
SPEAKER_01 (00:59):
Actually, she fell asleep way before I was like,
I'm telling you, so she didn'tthink she liked it, but she
liked it.
SPEAKER_04 (01:04):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:14):
Welcome to my Crunchy Zen Era.
We're a weekly podcast filledwith a little fun, a little
humor, and a whole lot ofcuriosity.
I'm your host, Nicole Swisher,and this week I am joined by
comedian Tara Brown.
SPEAKER_04 (01:26):
Hey, Nicole.
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (01:28):
Thank you so much for being here.
SPEAKER_04 (01:29):
Of course, of course.
SPEAKER_01 (01:31):
If you could relive any memory, what would it be and
why?
SPEAKER_04 (01:35):
Anything that involves my grandfather.
My grandfather passed away in uhuh 1999, and he was my best
friend and biggest fan andsupporter, and all the memories
I have with him are fantastic.
And there's this great memory weshared once.
(01:55):
He was a super positive person.
Like he entered every singleroom uh and saying peace and
love, like peace and love.
And so once he got invited to umspeak at uh uh a retirement
community because he was sopositive, and so he said, Come
with me to this place.
So I went with him and I'm inthe back of the room and I'm
watching him be amazing.
(02:16):
And at one point he goes, andthat's my granddaughter in the
back of the room.
She's not only my granddaughter,she's my best friend, and I
melted because I loved him somuch and to know that he loved
me like that.
So any memory with him, I don'tcare what it is, that's what I
would want to relive.
And he never got to see me docomedy, which is one of the
biggest regrets of my life.
He would love this.
SPEAKER_01 (02:36):
Yeah, yeah.
So how much public speaking didhe do?
SPEAKER_04 (02:40):
Like he didn't, he just was naturally funny,
naturally curious, he wasextremely intelligent, and he
just was he was any room hewalked into, he was the moment,
you know, and he was everything,everyone loved him.
And um when he passed away, itwas really hard for everybody
(03:01):
because he just was the life ofthe party, and he was just an
amazing person.
So any memory that involves him,I don't care what it is, is what
I would want to relive.
SPEAKER_00 (03:10):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (03:10):
I love that.
Um, can you tell me a little bitabout where you're at in your
career right now?
SPEAKER_04 (03:15):
Well, I uh perform stand-up comedy, as you know.
I've been doing it now for thepast 11 years.
I am uh clean comic, so itaffords me opportunities to work
in a lot of different spaces.
Uh and um right now I'm doing alot of cruise work, which is
fun.
So I get to perform comedy oncruise ships, which is really,
(03:37):
really nice.
And you get to meet a lot ofpeople and go a lot of places.
And so someone said to me, Howdo you like doing it?
I said, I get to perform, makepeople laugh, get paid for, and
travel the world for free.
It does not suck.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (03:52):
Uh most recently, where did you go?
SPEAKER_04 (03:54):
Alaska and Canada.
I've been to Alaska a lot thisyear.
Alaska and Canada.
I just got back from my sixthtrip there this year.
And if you have not visitedAlaska, I encourage you to do
so.
It is so breathtakinglygorgeous.
If you're a seafood eater,really go.
Because there's nothing betterthan getting Alaskan King Crab
(04:15):
legs in Alaska.
Yeah.
But the food is, it feels likethey take the seafood out of the
water and put it on your plate.
But I've had an amazing time.
So everything up there is prettyseasonal.
So uh it's interesting.
You get a lot of people uh whowill work there for now, and
then and I think they saidprobably less than 10 days,
they'll be shut down for theseason.
So I was happy to go back forthe last time.
(04:37):
And it's funny, uh, I go a lotto Ketchikan, Alaska, and
there's a restaurant I likethere called Ketchikan Crab and
Go.
And the waitress said, You'relike our only regular, everyone
else on tourists, so it's fun.
So just got back from there andum home for a little bit, and I
head back out in a couple ofweeks to Hawaii.
So yeah.
unknown (04:54):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (04:54):
Is there anything that's like a little
uncomfortable, weird, or weirdabout doing comedy on a on a
ship that's different than likeif you were at Zany's or
something?
SPEAKER_04 (05:05):
I think you lose a bit of anonymity.
Um, I would say my one of myfavorite times to be on the ship
is the first night I'm there andI've not performed because no
one knows who I am.
And so after I've gotten offstage, it it's a good problem to
have, you know.
Yeah, people want to talk toengage and whatever.
And you I was sitting having ameal by myself, and one woman
(05:26):
goes, Do people tell you jokesall the time?
I said, They do.
She said, Okay.
And then she sat down.
I said, Oh, you're sitting,okay.
So you lose a bit of anonymity,but like I said, it's a good
problem to have.
So I'm grateful.
SPEAKER_01 (05:38):
And before you started the cruise ships, what
what was your life like doingcomedy full-time?
SPEAKER_04 (05:45):
Um, it's you know, it's a challenge.
Comedy, when you make thedecision, I left I made the
decision to leave my corporatejob two years ago.
I had a background incommunications.
I was a PR professional for uh acable television network.
And my whole career I've spentworking in communications, uh,
worked in uh book publishing andthen cable television.
(06:05):
And I made the decision to uhleave a nice salary and some
benefits to do this full time.
And, you know, it's it's agrind.
It's not easy, and uh it's achallenge.
So just finding the work and andjust kind of consistently
working, I'm grateful that uhbecause like I said, I work
(06:25):
clean, I get to do a lot ofcorporate and uh private and
churches and different things.
So uh it's been busy and it'sbeen a grind.
SPEAKER_01 (06:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (06:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:36):
And I mean, did you other than a steady salary and
stuff like that, was thereanything else that when you
started full-time comedy, youhad to grieve a little bit and
how your life changed?
SPEAKER_04 (06:49):
I never know what day it is.
And like I almost never knowwhat day it is.
Like, you know when you go towork and people say, Oh, it's
Monday.
It's like, oh, is it Monday?
Like, I don't that's kind offunny, and it's just like, okay.
Um, you know, uh time is is aninteresting thing.
(07:10):
You know, I uh it's funny when Iwas uh on a ship, I did a
podcast interview with one ofthe entertainers, and he said,
Let's meet at eight.
And I was like, comedians don'tget up at eight.
You know what I mean?
So, you know, when you're you'reworking a nine-to-five job,
you're more on a structuredschedule.
Yeah.
And I think my schedule, that'sanother thing.
(07:31):
The schedule has been verydifferent.
And so that's something I had toget used to.
And I travel a lot, and so I'min airports, and you know, when
I'm on land, I tend to be on theroad a lot.
And so getting used to adifferent travel schedule and
not have that structure of okay,you get up at this time, you
shower, you go to work, youknow, come back.
(07:51):
So that's been an adjustment.
Again, good one to have.
Good problem to have.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (07:56):
So did you travel much before you got into comedy?
SPEAKER_04 (07:59):
I did because by nature of what I did for in my
professional life, I traveled alot.
I was a I did PR.
So I worked uh PR in bookpublishing at Penguin Books and
HarperCollins, and then intelevision for cable television
and independent cable televisionnetwork.
So by virtue of doing PR, Itraveled a lot.
The cool thing is that when Iwas doing stand-up and still
(08:23):
working at my old job, I uhwould always, when I traveled
for work, I would always buildin some time for me to do an
open mic in that city, which wasreally cool.
Which I'm I ironically enough ishow I ended up doing Kill Tony
in LA.
I accidentally did Kill Tony.
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
I did not know you did Kill Tony.
SPEAKER_04 (08:40):
Yeah, it was it was really funny because I was going
to LA for a work trip and Icalled ahead to the comedy store
and I was like, Do you guys havean open mic?
And they said yes.
And they said, You're morelikely to get picked if you
write that you're from out oftown.
I said, okay.
So I go there, and there were somany people signing up for this
(09:03):
open mic list.
It was insane.
And so I signed this paper, andthen the guy comes out, he grabs
the paper, but not the one Isigned.
And I said, Wait, what justhappened?
And he put the list up, and Iknew I wasn't gonna be on it
because I didn't sign the paper.
And so afterwards I said tosomebody, I said, What paper did
I sign?
And they said, You sound yousigned the Kill Tony list.
And I didn't have no idea whatKill Tony was at the time.
(09:25):
And I said, What is that?
And the guy explained to me whatit was.
So I'm thinking, I don't want toget called for this, right?
So I go in, I was like, I'm justgonna watch.
And they say, First up, it saysshe's from out of town.
I was like, no.
But I it was great.
Were you the first one?
I went the I was the first oneup, and he was great.
(09:45):
The panel I had was fantastic.
They were really sweet and nice,and they gave me really good
feedback, and they were reallynice.
And I I did well, thankfully.
SPEAKER_01 (09:54):
How long ago was that?
SPEAKER_04 (09:55):
Golly gee.
Uh I would have to look that up,but I don't even remember.
But if you Google my name inKill Tony, it'll probably pop
up.
SPEAKER_01 (10:02):
Okay, I was gonna say, can we Google it?
SPEAKER_04 (10:04):
Yeah, you probably could, but it had to have been
maybe eight or nine years agofor sure.
SPEAKER_01 (10:10):
So that was pretty early.
SPEAKER_04 (10:11):
Right, because like I said, I had no concept of what
the show was.
Yeah.
And when I never forget the guysaid to me, You do a minute
worth of material, but if you'rebad, they'll really give it to
you.
SPEAKER_01 (10:22):
Okay.
No pressure.
SPEAKER_04 (10:24):
No pressure, and I was first, so but it was fun.
SPEAKER_01 (10:26):
Wow.
SPEAKER_04 (10:27):
And then you have to think in that moment, like, what
joke do I have that's only aminute long?
And I had one.
And it's funny because there wasanother young lady on the show,
and she was doing her her joke,and she kept saying, How much
more time do I have?
How much more time do I have?
And they ate her alive.
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
You have a minute, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (10:44):
They ate her alive, and I was like, ooh.
So I was really early on doingstand-up when I did that.
So that's kind of funny.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (10:50):
What an interesting story.
I know, right?
So you didn't know that.
But you knew everything.
SPEAKER_04 (10:56):
So that's what life was like.
I did travel a lot because, likeI said, by virtue of being a PR
person, I traveled a lot.
SPEAKER_01 (11:02):
Did you find that that background helped you maybe
get into um full-time comedyfaster?
I mean, it feels faster to methan some people I know.
SPEAKER_04 (11:12):
I don't know about faster.
The interesting thing, and I saythis because I do public
speaking as well.
Um I say this in in a talk Igive.
When you're a PR professional,your role is to elevate other
people, right?
So I'm accustomed to promoting.
If you're my client, I promoteyou.
I'm not accustomed to being theperson in front.
(11:33):
Uh oh.
So it was a very weird thing forme to be like, oh, it's me, you
know.
So, but I don't know if I gotthere quicker, but I just think
by being a communicationsprofessional, I think it did
help me communicate better.
SPEAKER_01 (11:48):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (11:48):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (11:49):
That makes sense.
And I mean, you started comedy alittle later than maybe we think
people do.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What prompted that?
SPEAKER_04 (11:58):
Well, it was funny.
I was um back in uh, like Isaid, I was doing comedy at a
cable television network.
And um, this particular network,they did a lot of acquired
content.
So uh, you know, like LittleHouse on the Prairie and the
Waltons and that kind of thing.
So you can't get pressed forshows that have been off the air
(12:20):
for 50 years.
So I basically was I didn't havea lot to do at the time, let's
just say, right?
So, and I'm accustomed to beingvery busy.
I'm a New Yorker.
I I just I'm I'm always moving.
And so it's it was very foreignfor me to just, you know, people
like enjoy it.
I'm like, I like being busy.
And so this is when I knew itwas gonna be a challenge.
(12:41):
So I was in my office one dayand it was two o'clock, and I
said, I gotta move around.
So I got out, I talked to thedepartment assistant, I went to
the ladies' room, I came back, Italked to the department
assistant again, and I went backin my office and it was 2.05,
and I was like, I'm gonna diehere.
And so I Googled things to do inCharlotte, where I was living at
the time, and comedy classpopped up.
(13:03):
And I was like, hmm, you know,uh maybe.
And I took a six-week class atthe comedy zone, and uh the rest
of they say was history, and Iwas 45 years old at the time, 56
now.
So I'm you know, it was reallycool to start something uh later
in life like that, and that'swhy I'm a big proponent of um
(13:25):
helping people, reminding peopleit's never too late to start
something if you want to do it.
SPEAKER_01 (13:30):
I mean, was it totally just you see comedy show
up, or had that ever been onyour mind?
SPEAKER_04 (13:36):
Never like okay, never.
It's funny when people sayyou're doing the thing you've
always wanted to do, I was like,not really.
Kind of fell into comedy.
I it wasn't one of those thingslike I always thought I should
be a comedian.
But as I mentioned, mygrandfather earlier, my
grandfather was ridiculouslyfunny, like just naturally
funny, and my mom is reallyfunny, so I get it pretty
honestly.
So it it's it feels right, yeah,but it wasn't something I
(14:00):
pursued or thought, oh, one dayI'd I I'd like to try comedy.
SPEAKER_01 (14:03):
Okay.
And when you were in the class,did did you think I'm gonna keep
doing this, or was it more like,well, this is fun, so maybe I'll
just like go to an open mic orsomething?
SPEAKER_04 (14:13):
You know, for me, I'm one of those type of people.
If I do something, I'm gonna seeit through.
I'm not, you know, there werepeople in my class who took the
class for different reasons.
There were some who reallywanted to pursue stand-up.
There's some who wanted to getbetter at public speaking, you
know, that sort of thing.
And I'm the only one left out ofmy class who's still doing it.
(14:33):
Okay.
And so I always I never went inthinking, oh, this is cute.
Oh, you know.
I was like, okay, I'm in it, youknow, and I'll do it.
A funny thing happened along theway, though.
I was doing it when I startedout as a hobby, something else
to do.
But what was really cool alongthe way is I started getting
these great opportunities, andum it became like a second
(14:56):
full-time job.
Yeah.
So then I had to make adecision, which I made two years
ago, to say, okay, let's let'sgive this a go.
If we're gonna do this, let'sjust give this a go.
And here we are.
SPEAKER_01 (15:06):
And it was what were people's reactions in your life
when you tried it for the firsttime?
SPEAKER_04 (15:12):
It did not seem unnatural to people.
They say, Yeah, I I could seethat.
I think I've been so incrediblyblessed with support.
Like, I I do not take forgranted the support I get.
Like, the funny thing about me,I, as I mentioned, I'm a New
Yorker, so I did not drive.
Like, and people think that'sthe funniest thing, but like in
(15:33):
New York, you don't need todrive, right?
Take buses somewhere.
So when I moved to Charlotte,North Carolina, it was the first
time I had a license, right?
And I moved there in 2003.
So that was just the craziestthing to people.
And so when I got into stand-up,again, I just started driving,
and I had all these rules aboutdriving.
I don't drive at night, I don'tdrive in the rain, I don't drive
(15:55):
on the highway.
Like I had all of these rules.
SPEAKER_01 (15:57):
I think you still have some of those rules.
SPEAKER_04 (15:59):
I've relaxed them a lot.
I've relaxed them a lot becausenow I drive to Florida in
places.
So trust me, the Lord has reallyrelaxed me on some of those.
But so the funniest thing iswhen I started doing stand-up, I
had a really bad habit ofaccepting gigs out of town and
not knowing how I was gonna getthere.
So then I would, you know, emailsome of my close friends and uh
(16:20):
my life group, and they wouldI'd say, Hey, I have a show
here, and they're like, Allright, we'll drive you.
So it was so I'm grateful.
And it's funny because Iremember having a run in
Columbus, Georgia, and FortWalton Beach, Florida.
And this is when I lived inCharlotte, and two of my good
girlfriends were like, Allright, we'll take you.
(16:40):
And um they put me up, thebooker put me up at like a Super
Eight motel, which, oh my gosh.
And so, which I am a hotel snob,so this was so, but I'm like, I
guess this is a part of payingyour dues.
And so the three of us trying tostay in this one room at a super
eight, and they dropped me offto the show.
They're like, we're gonna cleanand fumigate the room, and then
(17:02):
we'll pick you up when the showwas over.
So I I'm grateful that I've hadthat level of support.
And then over time, I was justlike, and it became a running
joke when people would see meshow up at places at night.
They're like, Who bought you?
I was in control of myself.
So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
That's I mean, that's just interesting because
when I started Stand Up, yeah,people were very surprised.
That was not something anyoneexpected me to do.
But then I had a lot of supportwith my friends as well, and
they would like show up, and Iremember producers or anybody on
the show were like, wow, likeyour friends come.
(17:39):
And to me, I'm like, of coursethey come.
Like I've built thesefriendships.
SPEAKER_02 (17:42):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:43):
And I don't know if that's something like I mean, I
was 34, I think, when I triedstand-up.
Yeah.
And I feel like I had thiscommunity and this base of
friends already who were justlike, we cheer each other on, so
of course we'll show up.
And maybe that was a littledifferent.
SPEAKER_04 (18:01):
I'll tell you this, you know, somebody, I don't even
remember who told me this earlyon when I actually one of the
people who taught me stand upsaid, be careful how you lean on
your friends and family becauseyou don't want to wear them out.
And I found that to be verytrue.
Like I was very sensitive tolike if I had to go to shows, I
wouldn't ask the same people allthe time.
(18:22):
But people want to, when peopleroot for you, they will really
go to bat for you and will helpyou out.
So I think people admired what Iwas doing.
And I, you know, as I'm talkingto you now, I'm just playing the
tape back in my head of so manytimes.
I remember once one of my reallygood friends, I had a show in
Columbia, South Carolina, whichis a little bit uh hour outside
(18:44):
of Charlotte, and it was rainingcats and dogs, and she drove me
to that show.
And then we get to the show, andI'm sitting there waiting to go
on, and I hear a voice in thebackground says, Really, is that
what you're gonna do?
And it was my childhood friend Igrew up with in Brooklyn, New
York, who now lived in Bamberg,South Carolina.
And she drove probably about twosome odd hours just to see me,
(19:07):
and I just started crying.
And my friend who drove me fromColumbia's like, you know her?
I was like, and I couldn't evenspeak.
I was like, I know her, youknow, and she was always like a
big sister to me.
So I again, and to this veryday, like I'm so grateful for
the level of support I'vereceived for the 11 years I've
been doing this.
SPEAKER_01 (19:26):
I think sometimes you can just be surprised by how
much people care.
They do, and people do care.
They do, yeah.
You said you tried stand-up whenyou were 45 and that you're a
proponent of like trying newthings.
Is that something that you'vejust decided you want to
incorporate in your life, or hasit just been something that's
(19:47):
there?
SPEAKER_04 (19:48):
One time I took drum lessons because I love Shelley.
Like I just took that's thecoolest thing to see like women
drummers.
So I took like a drum classbecause I would and I was like,
granted, I'm no Shella E, but itwas so fun to just do, you know
what I mean?
I'm like, I I didn't think I wasgonna be a musician, but I
wanted to do it because it wasgonna be fun.
I think this is the one thing Idid kind of on a whim that I'm
(20:09):
like, oh, this is working out.
Yeah this is a thing.
And so I'm grateful about have Itaken more risks outside of
that?
I don't think that I have.
I think this requires so muchwork that I I want to nurture
this and just be better at it.
And um, that's the thing, youcan always be better.
And as you know, you learn moreabout yourself after every
(20:32):
performance, and yeah, andthat's really the cool part.
And um, so for me, my mind isalways working about how do you
make this thing funny, you know?
And um, like I posted somethingon Facebook the other day.
I was waiting at um the coffeebar in the ship, and an older
white gentleman said to me, HeyTara, we're playing cards, lady.
(20:52):
You want to play?
And I said, Yeah, what are youplaying?
He goes, spades.
And I was like, I'd never knowna white person to play spades.
And I said, I'm sorry, did yousay spades?
And it was so funny to me.
I was like, so I go back to mycabin, I was like, I gotta write
this out.
Like, I gotta figure this out.
But um, so it's just like youcan find humor in everything.
So I want to nurture this giftso much that I haven't picked up
(21:13):
a new thing, like, oh, let's trythis now.
No, this is this is my thing.
SPEAKER_01 (21:17):
Yeah, I once had somebody say to me, because I I
mean, I I think I've tried a lotof new things over the course of
my life.
And I think some of it was like,I just didn't know what what my
interests were exactly.
And I remember this really stuckwith me because it bothered me.
Somebody in my early 20s toldme, like, you have to just like
choose something or you're nevergonna be good at anything.
(21:40):
And I actually strongly disagreewith that to a certain to a
certain extent, because like howdo you know what you enjoy or
what you're going to be good atif you're just like, well, I
started this in high school andnow I went to college and this
is what I'm supposed to do.
If you aren't Googling things todo and just like trying
(22:02):
something, but I do agree withyou that you get to a certain
point of like if you findsomething you want to commit to
and you love it and you'repassionate about it, if you are
letting your time go to ahundred different things, you're
never gonna become an expert insomething.
SPEAKER_04 (22:18):
I agree with that.
You know, it's funny.
Years ago, um at my last job, wehad a lunch and learn type thing
with a woman who was I guess shecould be considered a life
coach.
And she was really great aboutjust talking to people about
like what they're supposed to bedoing in life.
And I've never been that personthat felt like this is what I'm
(22:39):
supposed to be doing, this isit.
And I always admire people whoknow, right?
Yeah, like I have a nephew, andmy nephew, from the time he
could talk, said, Auntie Tara,I'm gonna be a doctor.
Like Auntie Tara, I'm gonna be adoctor.
He is a doctor today.
Like, and I tell him all thetime, and he thinks it's weird
when I say, I say, you're theonly person in the history of my
(23:00):
life who I know who said theywere gonna do something, and
they the thing they did likeAuntie Tara, I'm gonna be a
doctor.
He is a doctor now, you know.
But back to this life coach, shewas telling people, and I I was
sitting in the room thinking,geez, I don't know what I want
to do.
Like, I admire all of mycoworkers around me because they
seem to have it figured out.
So finally we we took a we had abreak and I kind of went off to
(23:22):
the side because I didn't wantto ask a question in front of
everyone.
And I said, How do you know whenyou're doing the thing you're
supposed to be doing?
And then she stopped the breakand said, Everyone, Tara, ask me
a question.
I think it's important foreverybody.
And I was like, oh gosh.
She goes, She asked me, How doyou know when you're doing the
thing you're supposed to bedoing?
And her answer to me was, whenyou're doing the thing you're
(23:43):
supposed to be doing, everythingyou have done up until that
point will have made sense.
And she's right.
And I thought that was so spoton.
Because it's just like when youasked me about, you know, has my
work in communications impactedthe pe um the comedy, and I was
like, it has.
So it's just interesting becauseI never thought about it when
(24:04):
she said that.
But as I look back, I was like,this all makes sense now.
SPEAKER_01 (24:09):
Yeah, okay.
I've never heard someone saythat.
Huh?
I've never heard anyone say thatbefore.
So I'm now I'm thinking throughmy own life.
I know, right?
SPEAKER_04 (24:18):
She's like, you know, and it's just like a lot
of times when we have hardthings happen, it's just like we
hate that they have to happen,but it's just like it was
necessary to get us to the nextpoint.
Very kind of wax on, wax off,Mr.
Miyaki type stuff, you know.
It's just like, why am I doingthis?
But when you get on the otherside of things, sometimes it
makes more sense.
Yeah.
You know, I never forget, andit's not to bring the room down,
(24:41):
um, the uh Hall of Fame footballcoach Tony Dungey.
Um, his son, unfortunately, hadtaken his life.
And I remember there was a quotefrom his sister.
And I think the young man, andplease forgive me if I get this
wrong, I think he might havebeen 18 or something like time,
or 17 or something like that.
And I remember there was a quotefrom the sister that said, I
wish he'd just suck around to be19, because sometimes things
(25:05):
make more sense to you.
And and I that just crushed mebecause yeah, sometimes when
you're in the moment, you don'tsee uh why things are happening.
But then when you get on theside, you say, Oh, okay, that
needed to happen for me to gethere.
SPEAKER_01 (25:19):
Yeah, no, I I would definitely agree with that.
And I mean, I think iteverything kind of works
together.
SPEAKER_04 (25:26):
It totally does.
SPEAKER_01 (25:27):
But you can't see that because you're until you
can take a step outside yourstory and kind of like see the
plot a little bit better.
SPEAKER_04 (25:35):
And you think about with comedy, comedy is an
interesting thing in and ofitself because as much as you
don't want to, you all play thecomparison game.
SPEAKER_00 (25:44):
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (25:46):
You know, it's just like never.
I know, right?
Never do that.
That's why you get off socialmedia for like weeks at times.
But um, but you know, whenyou're on social media, you're
seeing someone's best self,right?
They got this opportunity, thatopportunity, and you're like, no
one called me for that, youknow.
Um, but you don't know what theyhad to do to get to that
opportunity.
Like I tell one time I did avideo.
(26:07):
Um, I was driving from uhNashville to Charlotte for a
show, and I stopped and did avideo when I stopped at Bucky's,
gotta stop at Bucky's.
And I said, This isn't thepretty part of comedy, right?
Like you see the stuff on stage,what you don't see is me having
to get up at five o'clock in themorning to go drive seven hours,
you know, to do the show.
(26:28):
This is this is the grind of it.
So a lot of times you can getfocused on, you know, oh, this
person is this, but everybodygets their turn.
And you clap for people whenit's their turn because you want
people to clap for you when it'syour turn.
SPEAKER_01 (26:40):
Is there anything you'd say you've like learned
about yourself through becominga full-time comedian that you
find surprising?
SPEAKER_04 (26:49):
That's a really good question.
What have I learned aboutmyself?
Um, to give myself grace.
I never forget, matter of fact,that Fort Bal Fort Walton Beach,
Georgia run I was telling youabout earlier.
The Georgia show was inColumbus, Georgia, and I didn't
have my best set.
It was not great.
And I remember thinking, God,and I just lamented over it so
(27:09):
much, so much so I wasfeaturing.
So the headline I kept going onand on about like, how come I
couldn't get him?
And I guess he got tired ofhearing from me.
And he said, Do me a favor, whenwe walk out this venue, leave
that here.
And I said, You know what?
He's right.
So to give myself more grace,like if a show does not go as
great as I hope it would, justknow there's another one.
(27:32):
And then I'll never forget, andI tell the story all the time.
Once when I was in Charlotte, Iwas in uh a comedy festival, and
I had what could be the visualrepresentation of the book,
Alexander's Terrible, Horrible,No Good, Very Bad Day.
Because I left my house, um, gotto the parking garage, realized
(27:54):
I did not, and went to go payfor parking, realized I left my
wallet home.
So I was like, oh my gosh, I hadto call my friend, she paid for
parking, get to the venue, geton, do the show.
We had like three people in theroom.
They had set the room up so darkI couldn't see, so I fell off
the stage.
Like off the stage.
And it was funny because I hadmy good friend taping the show.
(28:17):
And the only thing I could thinkas I'm tumbling in the front row
is please God, let him havestopped the tape.
Right.
And so when I got to the tape,and I watched it, he had stopped
it.
But I fell off the stage, gotback in my car, accidentally
jumped on the highway at night.
And now these were in the earlydays of the rules, broke all my
rules.
And I remember going home andI'm like, I'm not coming back
(28:39):
out the house ever again inlife.
And I had a show at the samevenue the next day, and I was
like, I'm not going.
People saw me fall, it was bad,but I'm like, this is not life.
You know what I mean?
What life is is that you havethese moments, you dust yourself
off, you learn from it, and yougo back.
And next day I didn't fall offthe stage, I remembered my
wallet, I didn't get on thehouse, like you know what I
(29:01):
mean.
So just giving yourself graceand just and permission to say,
okay, this might not have beenthe way you want it, but you're
still okay.
You're here for a reason.
You know, one of the things Ihave I think about this and it
makes me emotional.
I was on a ship once and um Iwas performing, and the lady had
(29:25):
her back to me, and I couldn'tquite understand what that was,
but then I realized she wassigning my show for someone who
was hearing impaired in theaudience.
So when I realized what she'sdoing, I, you know, I slowed
down and enunciated my words,right?
And at one point I saw the womanwho she was signing for laugh,
and I had to look away because Ialmost started crying because I
thought I said something thatmade this woman laugh.
(29:47):
You know, like she couldn't hearit, but it was translated to her
in the mail, and I was justlike, what an amazing gift.
So those moments far outweighfalling off stages, and
hopefully I'm not falling.
SPEAKER_01 (30:05):
I mean, something you maybe would never have
thought of early on in yourcareer, and you're like, now I
know.
Yeah, now I know.
SPEAKER_04 (30:12):
I know what I was like, where's the stage?
So I've talked about it on stagenow.
You have?
Do you have a joke about it?
Oh, yeah.
Okay.
You make a joke abouteverything.
SPEAKER_01 (30:20):
Yeah.
Like, I don't think I've heardthat.
Also, like, at least it's notonline somewhere, right?
SPEAKER_04 (30:26):
I don't think it is.
I don't know.
Me falling.
No, thank God, no.
SPEAKER_01 (30:29):
He stopped the tape.
SPEAKER_04 (30:30):
Yeah.
No.
SPEAKER_01 (30:32):
Yeah.
Have you found that like yourdefinition of success has
changed over the years?
The more experienced you get?
SPEAKER_04 (30:40):
I don't success.
That's a really good question.
Because what does success meanfor you, right?
Right.
Yes, it has changed because Ithink when you think success,
you think you know, money andfame and those things would be
nice.
But you know what?
Success is when I'm building mytime.
(31:01):
Like I the thing when you're onships, you have to have a lot of
material, right?
And I'm I'm successfullybuilding time.
I'm successfully building funnyjokes that are landing with the
audience.
I'm successfully, you know,having impact on people because
the thing that makes my heartleap for joy.
(31:23):
When you're on the ships, youhave um PG shows and you have
R-rated shows.
Do you do R-In's R-ratedmaterial?
So I do not do R-rated material.
So if you know me, you know youwill not find vulgarity or
profanity at my show.
You'll get innuendo, but youwon't get that.
The first ship I did, my phonebill was so expensive because I
(31:44):
spent the whole time texting andcalling my mom, like they're
gonna hate me because I don't dothis.
But what has been wonderful,every single ship, I get no less
than three to five people say tome, Thank you for being funny
without being vulgar.
So it empowers me to want tocontinue to just do that.
So that's success for me.
SPEAKER_02 (32:05):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (32:05):
So it looks it means different.
And listen, I'll take the fameand the money.
I will.
But right now, the success isknowing that I'm having impact
and I'm getting better.
Because I always want to bebetter.
SPEAKER_01 (32:19):
Yeah, I think some of the most memorable
experiences for me as a stand-upare not the shows where I
remember doing really well oranything.
Like I honestly, I thought Iwould remember things like that.
I actually don't so much.
But I do remember individualpeople who specifically women
(32:41):
would come up to me afterwardand say, I related to this joke,
I related to this joke.
And like one woman, this waswithin like my first two months
of doing stand-up, so I know Iwasn't killing it.
Um, but I remember her coming upafterward and saying, Where can
I see you next?
Because I want my daughter tocome see you.
Wow, like I just remember that.
(33:03):
That's good, that's half praiseright there.
Yeah, it's just so different.
SPEAKER_04 (33:07):
Yeah, I I love that.
Oh my goodness, that makes youit it's interesting um because I
I so relate to that.
I did uh uh a show for a charityevent.
I don't even know if it wasearly.
Again, I have no sense of days.
It might have been early thisyear, it could have been last
year, but um after the show, andI was this was back in Charlotte
(33:28):
where I lived, and um a womancame up to me and she gave me a
hug and she said, You know, Isaw you before, and I said, You
did.
She said, The day I saw you wasprobably the worst day of my
life.
Like she got some really badnews, and she said, The last
thing I wanted to do was come toa comedy show, but my friends
dragged me to that show, and youmade me feel so much better.
(33:52):
And I hugged her, and we'recrying, I'm crying, she's
crying.
But that impact and youmentioned about daughters I was
on a ship, uh this was lastyear, and it was a mother and a
daughter who kept coming to myshow, and the daughter looked to
be in her 20s, but I noticedevery time the mom would talk,
so it made me think the daughtermay have been nonverbal.
(34:14):
And um they came to all myshows, and some of my shows were
repeats, and they came torepeat.
And so they said, Well, cometomorrow.
I said, You've seen that show,and I said, No, we're still
coming.
And when I tell you they came toevery show.
So the last show, the mom comesup to me and said, My daughter
made you this and wondered ifyou'd wear it.
So it's this cute littlebracelet, and I'm like, I'm
(34:38):
gonna wear it every day.
Are you kidding?
Because it reminds me of theimpact you have.
Like, it could be just writing ajoke to you, but you don't know
what it can mean.
And so when I was like, Whenthat lady in Charlotte told me,
like, I didn't know that she washaving that moment, but yeah, I
thank God for using me to be ablessing to her that it helped
her out that day.
SPEAKER_01 (34:58):
I I also know just from knowing you that you care a
lot about mentoring other womenin comedy.
SPEAKER_04 (35:06):
Yes, yes.
I that was very important to me.
When I was in Charlotte, theyaffectionately called me the
godmother of Charlotte comedy,which I I wore that very
seriously because I knew what itwas like when I came up in stand
up.
I remember coming up in standup, and there were two women who
were kind of above me.
(35:27):
And I would have loved for themto say, hey, come on in with
Shade Robs.
And I had the opportunity totell one of them that recently,
not too long ago.
I said, you know, when I cameup, like you, you didn't kind of
embrace me.
And I really wish you wouldhave.
And she said, I'm really sorry.
But she had her own thing goingon, so I don't blame them.
But that's one of those thingsthat when it happens to you, you
(35:49):
don't want it to happen tosomeone else.
So when I was in Charlottespecifically, I was just like, I
made a point of just like tryingto support the women, go to your
shows.
And I remember when I wasleaving, I was moving away, and
I said to one girl, I said, Iwant to apologize to you because
I didn't get out to as many ofyour shows as I'd like.
And she looked at me like I wascrazy.
I said, No, it's important in meto try to come out and support.
(36:11):
And she looked at me again, andI was like, it doesn't mean
anything to you, but it meantsomething to me.
And I'll never forget when Ifirst started doing stand-up,
and when you're doing comedy canbe very clickish, as we know.
And I remember being in uh thecomedy zone in the club, and I
was sitting by myself, everyonewas off in their little sets,
and no one talked to me.
(36:32):
And a comedian, a veterancomedian, sat at the table I was
sitting at and said, My name isDeacon, what's your name?
And I never forgot that.
I used to tell him that I said,Dick and remake is a terror, I
don't remember that.
But that moment stayed with me.
That so now when I see someonewho I feel is to themselves or
whatever, I'm like, hey, youwant to sit together or
(36:53):
whatever?
Because I know what it feelslike to not feel a part of
something, and I never wantanybody to feel like that.
SPEAKER_01 (36:59):
Yeah, and I I mean the courage I think it takes to
even show up to an open mic totry something or to say yes to a
show, and then you go and youfeel kind of like nobody's
trying to make everyone's likeavoiding eye contact, and so it
it really matters when someonejust like uh notices you as a
human, like walks up in anysetting.
SPEAKER_04 (37:21):
Yeah, but there was a a female comedian once and
I've seen her at a few openmics, and this was when I lived
in Charlotte, and I saw at a fewopen mics, and she had this
opening joke uh she would dowhere she said, I know you all
hate me because I'm pretty.
And I saw her do that a fewtimes, and I look at the women
in the audience and they'relike, you know, so probably
(37:43):
after about the fourth or fifthtime, I said, Hey, let's chat
for a second, and you know, andI I lovingly I said, Can I offer
you some feedback?
And she she was very receptiveto I said, because here's what
you've done, you've lost all thewomen.
I said, You've literally lostall the women in the and they
wanted if they wanted to likeyou, they don't like you now,
(38:04):
you know.
And so she received it, and soit was good recently, and I
won't say a name, I gavefeedback to a comic here.
It wasn't a female comic, but Inoticed he was doing something
that instantly you're gonna losehalf the room if you do it.
And he was I'm grateful that hewas very receptive to it.
And so it was funny because whenI saw him do that joke the next
(38:25):
time, I noticed the tweaks hemade.
I said, There you go.
SPEAKER_01 (38:28):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, because that moment youwalk on stage, the first thing
out of your mouth can just makeor break your set.
SPEAKER_04 (38:35):
An audience decides, we we all learn this.
The audience decides within thefirst few seconds whether or not
they like you.
So if you come out hot and it'sjust like, hmm.
But so even if your set is notthat strong, but when you first
get on stage, you're like, welike her.
Yeah.
We're gonna give her a littlebit, we'll give we'll give her a
couple of minutes, you know.
But if you come out and you'renot, I remember once going to a
(38:56):
show and I watched a guy, andthis this was insane.
And he insulted the room, halfthe room, then they just weren't
looking at him, and he turnedhis back to them and like did
the show to the other half ofthe room.
I was like, Yeah, and I waslike, she's like, you know,
things not to do in common, youknow.
That's so interesting.
But again, we learn aboutourselves with every
(39:19):
opportunity.
I think be open to feedback,constructive feedback.
But then you also have to knowwhen feedback is not for you.
Like I remember once a comediansaid to me, You need to be more
animated on stage.
That's not my vibe.
So I thankfully, I said thankyou.
So you have to chew the meat andspit off the bones.
What's for you is for you, butthen a lot of time feedback is
(39:43):
not necessarily, you know,depending on who you get it
from, it's not always warranted.
Again, it's just where is itcoming from, right?
And and that I'm open to uh Iremember doing uh a joke at New
Material Night at Zany's and itdid not land.
And I remember, and and aveteran comedian who I respect a
(40:03):
lot said, you know, Tara,sometimes the joke doesn't need
to be that long.
And I said, you know what, he'sright.
And so when I went back andlooked at and I cut it, and
that's actually what I've beendoing a lot on ships, like
sometimes I have these longjokes, so I'm like, it doesn't
need to be that long.
And I never forgot that feedbackbecause he was absolutely right.
Because it's like you think itneeds to be this big grandiose
thing, and it doesn't.
(40:24):
And um, so again, it's dependenton where the feedback is coming
from.
And if it makes sense for you,just because someone gives you
feedback, you don't necessdoesn't necessarily mean you
need to take it, you just verybe very polite, thank you so
much, and just like okay, it'snot for me, but thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (40:41):
I would be remiss if I didn't share how we met.
Yes.
Um, it was at the winery showout in I think it was Del
Monico.
SPEAKER_04 (40:50):
Del Monico Winery, great room.
SPEAKER_01 (40:51):
It was my second show, and she was that only your
second show?
SPEAKER_04 (40:54):
No way, you did well.
SPEAKER_01 (40:56):
He had no idea.
So really, yeah.
Somebody had like Mary, our ourfriend Marianna.
She'd had to drop out due tosome health reasons.
We actually mentioned it on thepodcast a long time ago now.
Um I took her spot, and thenliterally Sean found out like as
(41:19):
I was like walking on stagebecause he was like, We have a
newer comedian, you know, thisis like what show is this for
you?
SPEAKER_04 (41:26):
I was like, second, he was like, Oh my gosh, that's
funny.
You did well at that showthough.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (41:33):
And afterward, you were so kind and said, You're a
very good writer, you shouldkeep going.
And that really encouraged me.
Oh, good.
I'm glad to hear that.
SPEAKER_04 (41:42):
You are, you're very smart, very funny.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (41:47):
Um, so what are you obsessing over lately, Tara?
SPEAKER_04 (41:51):
Okay, here's what I'm obsessing over.
Okay, I am a police proceduralgirl.
Like, I love a good policeprocedural, right?
Like Chicago PD, my jam.
Can't wait for the new season tostart.
So I have discovered this olderpolice procedure that I'm sorry
I missed when it came on calledBosch, which is on Prime Video.
SPEAKER_01 (42:12):
I've heard of it, but I've never watched it.
SPEAKER_04 (42:13):
It's so good.
And so it's like, I'm I shouldbe embarrassed to say this, but
I'm not.
I like binge seven seasons ofBosch in two weeks.
Like, so good.
And the title character, um, themain character, the actor Titus
Welliver, I think that's how youpronounce that.
He has like this brooding thingthat I sew him into.
(42:35):
Like, I love that.
And so that's why I like ChicagoPD, because Hank, you know,
whatever, you know.
But I'm into the brooding guys,right?
So I binge-watched like sevenseasons of Bosch in two weeks,
and then there's Bosch Legacy.
SPEAKER_01 (42:49):
Oh, there's more than more, right?
SPEAKER_04 (42:51):
It's like a sequel.
So there's like three seasons ofBosch Legacy.
SPEAKER_01 (42:55):
Is it a sequel or like a spin-off?
Like same characters ordifferent things?
SPEAKER_04 (42:58):
It's a sequel.
But what's smart about, andthey're based on the Michael
Connolly novels.
And I used to work andpublishing, so all these names
are like really kind of cool toknow.
But anyway, so um, what's coolabout the Bosch Legacy, it's
like a Bosch universe.
So like some of the people whoare in the original Bosch show
up in Bosch Legacy, and it'skind of really funny.
(43:19):
So I just finished the thirdseason of Bosch Legacy, and it's
super sad.
But wait, there's more.
There's a spin-off of BoschLegacy called Ballard.
So that's what I'm obsessingwith the whole Bosch universe.
So I'm gonna watch Ballard.
It won't be a lot of Bosch init, but we'll see.
So that's what I'm obsessingover.
Like, like I said, I love a goodum police procedural, and Bosch
(43:43):
is just filling that cup for meright now.
SPEAKER_01 (43:45):
That's amazing.
Is that your recommendation aswell?
That's my recommendation aswell.
SPEAKER_04 (43:49):
Like if you like, because you can get so lost in
it, and it was just like reallygood.
If you want something, no, I'mnot even gonna recommend that
because it was so naughty.
I was like, I don't even I don'teven want that on my resume.
No, no, I'm I'm scratched what Iwas gonna say.
SPEAKER_01 (44:04):
But um I I like I like this recommendation because
I see it pop up on Prime and I'mlike, I I like so I really like
Monk.
Did you get it?
SPEAKER_04 (44:15):
I love Monk.
My grandmother and I used towatch Monk together.
SPEAKER_01 (44:19):
So my mom and I started watching it together
when she was here for a while,and because I had never really
wanted to watch it before, andthen I was like, this is so
good.
SPEAKER_04 (44:29):
Did you watch the movie?
SPEAKER_00 (44:30):
I did, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (44:32):
That was powerful because it had a little bit of a
dark twist that you didn't kindof see coming, but it was so
powerful.
But the message in that though,right?
Is like he got to see all of thepeople who whose he impacted,
his work impacted, and that justthat imagery just really took me
(44:52):
out.
But uh, so Bosch is not monkbecause monk is more sanitized.
SPEAKER_00 (44:57):
Okay, gotcha.
SPEAKER_04 (44:58):
Okay, just go.
We want you to go into promvideo.
Like, yeah monk is on cozy TV,so yes, Bosch is on prom video,
so it's a little different.
But if you love a good, likeagain, I'm a police procedure
girl, but and so you do that.
But but I so I'm also excitedthat all my new shows are coming
back.
Like again, um FBI.
(45:20):
I'm still a little bit bummedthat they canceled most wanted
international.
Um, but Chicago PD.
Oh gosh, I love Chicago PD.
Yeah.
The brooding gods.
I love the brooding types.
SPEAKER_01 (45:31):
Women always do.
Exactly.
Go for the bad boys.
Yeah.
Uh well, my recommendationtoday.
Oh, my tablet just fell asleep.
Give me one second.
I'm like, well, that means I wassuper into our conversation.
Oh, well, thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (45:44):
No, it means I talked a lot.
SPEAKER_01 (45:46):
That's great.
Um, okay, so I like to listen toMel Robin's podcast.
Ah.
She's loving.
SPEAKER_04 (45:52):
What is what's the the thing to Let Them.
Let them.
Let them.
SPEAKER_01 (45:56):
Yeah, her book Let Them and all the things.
I think that is the big thingreally with her.
Yeah.
Um, but she had one recentlythat I really have enjoyed.
It's how to get things done,stay focused, and be more
productive.
Oh.
So this was from September 3rd.
And that so one thing I've beenkind of reflecting on since
being back from Scotland, whereI had like all this time to be
(46:20):
outside and hike and all thisstuff, is where am I putting my
time and am I being likeintentional about it?
Because I feel like I've beenoverly busy.
And what really stuck out to mewas this guy was talking about
because she was interviewingsomeone, he's talking about how
our society looks at like ifyou're working, it's the hours
(46:42):
of like how many hours and thatmeans you've been productive,
versus what are like the actualoutcomes and how much time do
you really have to put into itto get the outcome that's
needed.
SPEAKER_00 (46:52):
Right.
That's good.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (46:54):
And like as a lawyer, it's like the billable
hour.
SPEAKER_00 (46:58):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (46:58):
I'm a pretty efficient lawyer, which is not
necessarily rewarded in law.
Um, and so I've really struggledwith that because I'm like, I'm
getting a great outcome for myclient, my client's happy.
Isn't that the product that wewant?
Yeah.
But I'm I'm the product.
Right.
And so it's really challengingto balance that.
SPEAKER_04 (47:17):
That's good.
SPEAKER_01 (47:18):
I'm real into this podcast.
SPEAKER_04 (47:20):
I'm like, gosh.
You're like, I need you to getreflective.
I need you to do this and farmore.
Well, you and then wait aminute.
The good segue is like, how areyou spending your time?
Binge watching Bob.
SPEAKER_03 (47:33):
That was not intentional.
SPEAKER_00 (47:34):
Wait a minute.
SPEAKER_03 (47:35):
Okay, so there's seven seasons, ten episodes a
season.
I've spent 70 hours watching thepolice procedure.
SPEAKER_00 (47:43):
And I defense, I travel a lot, and it's my damn
thing that I like to do.
Okay, but I like to spend likean entire day just like binging
stuff too, just to work clear.
I I have I am really into Loveis Blind and Oh my god, I can't
Okay.
SPEAKER_04 (48:00):
I feel better.
SPEAKER_01 (48:01):
Yeah, like I Okay, yeah, we have time for this.
Um okay, so when I go to thesauna on our on my last episode,
I actually shared that I waslike looking forward to going to
the sauna because I'd get towatch the next Love is Blind UK
episode.
And I did.
And there's this guy on therewho he instead of saying he
(48:22):
follows his heart, yeah, he'slike, I follow my spleen.
His spleen.
I'm like, where is your spleen?
SPEAKER_04 (48:28):
I was gonna say, Where is your spleen?
SPEAKER_01 (48:30):
I don't even know.
I shouldn't.
SPEAKER_04 (48:31):
Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_01 (48:32):
And in the last one, he's like, you know, I need to,
I just know I need to like trustmy spleen, but it's really quiet
right now.
SPEAKER_04 (48:38):
Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_01 (48:40):
Like, what are we talking about?
SPEAKER_04 (48:42):
That is so bizarre.
SPEAKER_01 (48:43):
So this is how partially how I use my time.
It's fine.
Yeah, it's okay.
SPEAKER_04 (48:46):
Okay, because I don't feel judged.
Oh god.
Like in my other defense, I didwatch episodes of Botch while I
was on the elliptical.
So I did get some exercise.
SPEAKER_01 (48:54):
This is a no judgment zone.
I just happened to bring arecommendation that was a little
more serious.
In the past, I've brought, Idon't even know.
What I I don't even know.
Red bicycle food, it's great.
Pizza.
SPEAKER_04 (49:10):
Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01 (49:11):
My recommendations.
SPEAKER_04 (49:12):
Love it, love it, love it.
SPEAKER_01 (49:14):
All right, Tara, what are you looking forward to
this week?
SPEAKER_04 (49:17):
I am, oh, I'm looking forward to this week.
I'm heading to Hilton Head,South Carolina because my church
is having their women's retreat,and I get the pleasure of doing
comedy.
That's amazing.
For my church's women's retreat.
And um, we have the retreatevery other year, and uh two
years ago I got to do it.
And oddly enough, I want to saythis my church, the park church
(49:39):
in Charlotte, the way theysupport it, we talked about
support earlier, the support andthe love they show me is just
unmatched, and I'm grateful.
And um, oddly enough, two yearsago when I was at the women's
retreat, then I had confided toour first lady that I was
thinking about leaving my job todo stand-up full time, and she
recommended that I read thisbook by the actress Yvonne Orgy
(50:02):
called Bamboozled by Jesus.
And it was phenomenal.
But it basically talked aboutshe's a believer, and it talked
about how all of the similar towhat I told you, like how
everything makes sense leadingup to that.
So it was fantastic.
So that book was veryinstrumental in saying, Yep,
it's time to pull the trigger.
That's right.
So I'm looking forward to goingto Hilton Head this week and
being with those women and alsogetting poured back into.
(50:25):
Like I'm looking forward to todoing comedy, but I'm also
looking forward to resetting andjust getting re-energized and
you know, being around among abunch of wonderful women.
How about you?
SPEAKER_01 (50:36):
Yeah, um, I I'm actually gonna be able to catch
up with an old friend overcoffee.
So I'm very excited.
We I feel like we are constantlymissing each other, don't live
in the same state anymore.
And I found out he's coming hereand I was like, ah, we gotta get
something.
So I'm looking forward to that.
Tara, where can people find you?
SPEAKER_04 (50:56):
I would love if people found me on social media
platforms at Tara Brown Comedy,mainly Instagram and Facebook.
I have a TikTok, I don't do muchon TikTok, but if you find me on
Instagram and Facebook at TaraBrown Comedy, that would be
great.
Thank you.
Yeah, thank you so much forbeing here.
Thank you for having me.
This was fun.
The time just flew by.
I know it did.
Thank you.
Thank you.
(51:17):
And all the best to you.
And I'm so glad you're doingthis.
You have great guests on, andyou look like you're having a
lot of fun doing it.
SPEAKER_01 (51:24):
I'm having a blast.
SPEAKER_04 (51:25):
Good.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (51:26):
Thank you guys for listening.
Um, please subscribe whereveryou listen to your podcast,
check out the YouTube, and wewill see you next week.
The end.
Thanks for listening to mycrunchy zen era.
Please subscribe and leave areview wherever you listen to
your podcasts.
This podcast is produced by me,Nicole Swisher, and my good
friends Summer Harcup and LizCoulter.
(51:48):
Editing is by Drew HarrisonMedia, and recording is done by
Logos Creative in Nashville,Tennessee.
Thanks for hanging out.
We'll be back next week.
What is something crunchier than that you've done
lately?
SPEAKER_04 (00:03):
You know what I do every night is I listen to
meditation music to go to sleep.
Oh, where do you listen?
SuperZen.
So there's an app called InsightTimer.
And they have all of these greatuh sounds.
You can listen to you got whitenoise, you got water, you got
campfire and all this stuff.
So I love water.
So I'm always listening to somewater to sort of put me out.
(00:25):
And it's it feels good.
SuperZen.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (00:27):
When I um my mom and I, you know, we're in Scotland
and we stayed in like a dormroom.
Oh and I was like, mom, like Ihave got to have something on
like white noise.
And I was like, turned it way upon my phone, and she was like,
turn it down.
I was like, okay, sorry.
SPEAKER_04 (00:46):
She's not a white noise person.
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
I guess not.
SPEAKER_04 (00:48):
Yeah.
She's probably just I found whenI've shared a room with my mom,
if we've gone away, and I putbecause I sleep with this thing
every night.
If I put it on, she's she's goesto sleep before I do.
unknown (00:58):
That's nice.
SPEAKER_01 (00:59):
Actually, she fell asleep way before I was like,
I'm telling you, so she didn'tthink she liked it, but she
liked it.
SPEAKER_04 (01:04):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:14):
Welcome to my Crunchy Zen Era.
We're a weekly podcast filledwith a little fun, a little
humor, and a whole lot ofcuriosity.
I'm your host, Nicole Swisher,and this week I am joined by
comedian Tara Brown.
SPEAKER_04 (01:26):
Hey, Nicole.
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (01:28):
Thank you so much for being here.
SPEAKER_04 (01:29):
Of course, of course.
SPEAKER_01 (01:31):
If you could relive any memory, what would it be and
why?
SPEAKER_04 (01:35):
Anything that involves my grandfather.
My grandfather passed away in uhuh 1999, and he was my best
friend and biggest fan andsupporter, and all the memories
I have with him are fantastic.
And there's this great memory weshared once.
(01:55):
He was a super positive person.
Like he entered every singleroom uh and saying peace and
love, like peace and love.
And so once he got invited to umspeak at uh uh a retirement
community because he was sopositive, and so he said, Come
with me to this place.
So I went with him and I'm inthe back of the room and I'm
watching him be amazing.
(02:16):
And at one point he goes, andthat's my granddaughter in the
back of the room.
She's not only my granddaughter,she's my best friend, and I
melted because I loved him somuch and to know that he loved
me like that.
So any memory with him, I don'tcare what it is, that's what I
would want to relive.
And he never got to see me docomedy, which is one of the
biggest regrets of my life.
He would love this.
SPEAKER_01 (02:36):
Yeah, yeah.
So how much public speaking didhe do?
SPEAKER_04 (02:40):
Like he didn't, he just was naturally funny,
naturally curious, he wasextremely intelligent, and he
just was he was any room hewalked into, he was the moment,
you know, and he was everything,everyone loved him.
And um when he passed away, itwas really hard for everybody
(03:01):
because he just was the life ofthe party, and he was just an
amazing person.
So any memory that involves him,I don't care what it is, is what
I would want to relive.
SPEAKER_00 (03:10):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (03:10):
I love that.
Um, can you tell me a little bitabout where you're at in your
career right now?
SPEAKER_04 (03:15):
Well, I uh perform stand-up comedy, as you know.
I've been doing it now for thepast 11 years.
I am uh clean comic, so itaffords me opportunities to work
in a lot of different spaces.
Uh and um right now I'm doing alot of cruise work, which is
fun.
So I get to perform comedy oncruise ships, which is really,
(03:37):
really nice.
And you get to meet a lot ofpeople and go a lot of places.
And so someone said to me, Howdo you like doing it?
I said, I get to perform, makepeople laugh, get paid for, and
travel the world for free.
It does not suck.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (03:52):
Uh most recently, where did you go?
SPEAKER_04 (03:54):
Alaska and Canada.
I've been to Alaska a lot thisyear.
Alaska and Canada.
I just got back from my sixthtrip there this year.
And if you have not visitedAlaska, I encourage you to do
so.
It is so breathtakinglygorgeous.
If you're a seafood eater,really go.
Because there's nothing betterthan getting Alaskan King Crab
(04:15):
legs in Alaska.
Yeah.
But the food is, it feels likethey take the seafood out of the
water and put it on your plate.
But I've had an amazing time.
So everything up there is prettyseasonal.
So uh it's interesting.
You get a lot of people uh whowill work there for now, and
then and I think they saidprobably less than 10 days,
they'll be shut down for theseason.
So I was happy to go back forthe last time.
(04:37):
And it's funny, uh, I go a lotto Ketchikan, Alaska, and
there's a restaurant I likethere called Ketchikan Crab and
Go.
And the waitress said, You'relike our only regular, everyone
else on tourists, so it's fun.
So just got back from there andum home for a little bit, and I
head back out in a couple ofweeks to Hawaii.
So yeah.
unknown (04:54):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (04:54):
Is there anything that's like a little
uncomfortable, weird, or weirdabout doing comedy on a on a
ship that's different than likeif you were at Zany's or
something?
SPEAKER_04 (05:05):
I think you lose a bit of anonymity.
Um, I would say my one of myfavorite times to be on the ship
is the first night I'm there andI've not performed because no
one knows who I am.
And so after I've gotten offstage, it it's a good problem to
have, you know.
Yeah, people want to talk toengage and whatever.
And you I was sitting having ameal by myself, and one woman
(05:26):
goes, Do people tell you jokesall the time?
I said, They do.
She said, Okay.
And then she sat down.
I said, Oh, you're sitting,okay.
So you lose a bit of anonymity,but like I said, it's a good
problem to have.
So I'm grateful.
SPEAKER_01 (05:38):
And before you started the cruise ships, what
what was your life like doingcomedy full-time?
SPEAKER_04 (05:45):
Um, it's you know, it's a challenge.
Comedy, when you make thedecision, I left I made the
decision to leave my corporatejob two years ago.
I had a background incommunications.
I was a PR professional for uh acable television network.
And my whole career I've spentworking in communications, uh,
worked in uh book publishing andthen cable television.
(06:05):
And I made the decision to uhleave a nice salary and some
benefits to do this full time.
And, you know, it's it's agrind.
It's not easy, and uh it's achallenge.
So just finding the work and andjust kind of consistently
working, I'm grateful that uhbecause like I said, I work
(06:25):
clean, I get to do a lot ofcorporate and uh private and
churches and different things.
So uh it's been busy and it'sbeen a grind.
SPEAKER_01 (06:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (06:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:36):
And I mean, did you other than a steady salary and
stuff like that, was thereanything else that when you
started full-time comedy, youhad to grieve a little bit and
how your life changed?
SPEAKER_04 (06:49):
I never know what day it is.
And like I almost never knowwhat day it is.
Like, you know when you go towork and people say, Oh, it's
Monday.
It's like, oh, is it Monday?
Like, I don't that's kind offunny, and it's just like, okay.
Um, you know, uh time is is aninteresting thing.
(07:10):
You know, I uh it's funny when Iwas uh on a ship, I did a
podcast interview with one ofthe entertainers, and he said,
Let's meet at eight.
And I was like, comedians don'tget up at eight.
You know what I mean?
So, you know, when you're you'reworking a nine-to-five job,
you're more on a structuredschedule.
Yeah.
And I think my schedule, that'sanother thing.
(07:31):
The schedule has been verydifferent.
And so that's something I had toget used to.
And I travel a lot, and so I'min airports, and you know, when
I'm on land, I tend to be on theroad a lot.
And so getting used to adifferent travel schedule and
not have that structure of okay,you get up at this time, you
shower, you go to work, youknow, come back.
(07:51):
So that's been an adjustment.
Again, good one to have.
Good problem to have.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (07:56):
So did you travel much before you got into comedy?
SPEAKER_04 (07:59):
I did because by nature of what I did for in my
professional life, I traveled alot.
I was a I did PR.
So I worked uh PR in bookpublishing at Penguin Books and
HarperCollins, and then intelevision for cable television
and independent cable televisionnetwork.
So by virtue of doing PR, Itraveled a lot.
The cool thing is that when Iwas doing stand-up and still
(08:23):
working at my old job, I uhwould always, when I traveled
for work, I would always buildin some time for me to do an
open mic in that city, which wasreally cool.
Which I'm I ironically enough ishow I ended up doing Kill Tony
in LA.
I accidentally did Kill Tony.
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
I did not know you did Kill Tony.
SPEAKER_04 (08:40):
Yeah, it was it was really funny because I was going
to LA for a work trip and Icalled ahead to the comedy store
and I was like, Do you guys havean open mic?
And they said yes.
And they said, You're morelikely to get picked if you
write that you're from out oftown.
I said, okay.
So I go there, and there were somany people signing up for this
(09:03):
open mic list.
It was insane.
And so I signed this paper, andthen the guy comes out, he grabs
the paper, but not the one Isigned.
And I said, Wait, what justhappened?
And he put the list up, and Iknew I wasn't gonna be on it
because I didn't sign the paper.
And so afterwards I said tosomebody, I said, What paper did
I sign?
And they said, You sound yousigned the Kill Tony list.
And I didn't have no idea whatKill Tony was at the time.
(09:25):
And I said, What is that?
And the guy explained to me whatit was.
So I'm thinking, I don't want toget called for this, right?
So I go in, I was like, I'm justgonna watch.
And they say, First up, it saysshe's from out of town.
I was like, no.
But I it was great.
Were you the first one?
I went the I was the first oneup, and he was great.
(09:45):
The panel I had was fantastic.
They were really sweet and nice,and they gave me really good
feedback, and they were reallynice.
And I I did well, thankfully.
SPEAKER_01 (09:54):
How long ago was that?
SPEAKER_04 (09:55):
Golly gee.
Uh I would have to look that up,but I don't even remember.
But if you Google my name inKill Tony, it'll probably pop
up.
SPEAKER_01 (10:02):
Okay, I was gonna say, can we Google it?
SPEAKER_04 (10:04):
Yeah, you probably could, but it had to have been
maybe eight or nine years agofor sure.
SPEAKER_01 (10:10):
So that was pretty early.
SPEAKER_04 (10:11):
Right, because like I said, I had no concept of what
the show was.
Yeah.
And when I never forget the guysaid to me, You do a minute
worth of material, but if you'rebad, they'll really give it to
you.
SPEAKER_01 (10:22):
Okay.
No pressure.
SPEAKER_04 (10:24):
No pressure, and I was first, so but it was fun.
SPEAKER_01 (10:26):
Wow.
SPEAKER_04 (10:27):
And then you have to think in that moment, like, what
joke do I have that's only aminute long?
And I had one.
And it's funny because there wasanother young lady on the show,
and she was doing her her joke,and she kept saying, How much
more time do I have?
How much more time do I have?
And they ate her alive.
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
You have a minute, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (10:44):
They ate her alive, and I was like, ooh.
So I was really early on doingstand-up when I did that.
So that's kind of funny.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (10:50):
What an interesting story.
I know, right?
So you didn't know that.
But you knew everything.
SPEAKER_04 (10:56):
So that's what life was like.
I did travel a lot because, likeI said, by virtue of being a PR
person, I traveled a lot.
SPEAKER_01 (11:02):
Did you find that that background helped you maybe
get into um full-time comedyfaster?
I mean, it feels faster to methan some people I know.
SPEAKER_04 (11:12):
I don't know about faster.
The interesting thing, and I saythis because I do public
speaking as well.
Um I say this in in a talk Igive.
When you're a PR professional,your role is to elevate other
people, right?
So I'm accustomed to promoting.
If you're my client, I promoteyou.
I'm not accustomed to being theperson in front.
(11:33):
Uh oh.
So it was a very weird thing forme to be like, oh, it's me, you
know.
So, but I don't know if I gotthere quicker, but I just think
by being a communicationsprofessional, I think it did
help me communicate better.
SPEAKER_01 (11:48):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (11:48):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (11:49):
That makes sense.
And I mean, you started comedy alittle later than maybe we think
people do.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What prompted that?
SPEAKER_04 (11:58):
Well, it was funny.
I was um back in uh, like Isaid, I was doing comedy at a
cable television network.
And um, this particular network,they did a lot of acquired
content.
So uh, you know, like LittleHouse on the Prairie and the
Waltons and that kind of thing.
So you can't get pressed forshows that have been off the air
(12:20):
for 50 years.
So I basically was I didn't havea lot to do at the time, let's
just say, right?
So, and I'm accustomed to beingvery busy.
I'm a New Yorker.
I I just I'm I'm always moving.
And so it's it was very foreignfor me to just, you know, people
like enjoy it.
I'm like, I like being busy.
And so this is when I knew itwas gonna be a challenge.
(12:41):
So I was in my office one dayand it was two o'clock, and I
said, I gotta move around.
So I got out, I talked to thedepartment assistant, I went to
the ladies' room, I came back, Italked to the department
assistant again, and I went backin my office and it was 2.05,
and I was like, I'm gonna diehere.
And so I Googled things to do inCharlotte, where I was living at
the time, and comedy classpopped up.
(13:03):
And I was like, hmm, you know,uh maybe.
And I took a six-week class atthe comedy zone, and uh the rest
of they say was history, and Iwas 45 years old at the time, 56
now.
So I'm you know, it was reallycool to start something uh later
in life like that, and that'swhy I'm a big proponent of um
(13:25):
helping people, reminding peopleit's never too late to start
something if you want to do it.
SPEAKER_01 (13:30):
I mean, was it totally just you see comedy show
up, or had that ever been onyour mind?
SPEAKER_04 (13:36):
Never like okay, never.
It's funny when people sayyou're doing the thing you've
always wanted to do, I was like,not really.
Kind of fell into comedy.
I it wasn't one of those thingslike I always thought I should
be a comedian.
But as I mentioned, mygrandfather earlier, my
grandfather was ridiculouslyfunny, like just naturally
funny, and my mom is reallyfunny, so I get it pretty
honestly.
So it it's it feels right, yeah,but it wasn't something I
(14:00):
pursued or thought, oh, one dayI'd I I'd like to try comedy.
SPEAKER_01 (14:03):
Okay.
And when you were in the class,did did you think I'm gonna keep
doing this, or was it more like,well, this is fun, so maybe I'll
just like go to an open mic orsomething?
SPEAKER_04 (14:13):
You know, for me, I'm one of those type of people.
If I do something, I'm gonna seeit through.
I'm not, you know, there werepeople in my class who took the
class for different reasons.
There were some who reallywanted to pursue stand-up.
There's some who wanted to getbetter at public speaking, you
know, that sort of thing.
And I'm the only one left out ofmy class who's still doing it.
(14:33):
Okay.
And so I always I never went inthinking, oh, this is cute.
Oh, you know.
I was like, okay, I'm in it, youknow, and I'll do it.
A funny thing happened along theway, though.
I was doing it when I startedout as a hobby, something else
to do.
But what was really cool alongthe way is I started getting
these great opportunities, andum it became like a second
(14:56):
full-time job.
Yeah.
So then I had to make adecision, which I made two years
ago, to say, okay, let's let'sgive this a go.
If we're gonna do this, let'sjust give this a go.
And here we are.
SPEAKER_01 (15:06):
And it was what were people's reactions in your life
when you tried it for the firsttime?
SPEAKER_04 (15:12):
It did not seem unnatural to people.
They say, Yeah, I I could seethat.
I think I've been so incrediblyblessed with support.
Like, I I do not take forgranted the support I get.
Like, the funny thing about me,I, as I mentioned, I'm a New
Yorker, so I did not drive.
Like, and people think that'sthe funniest thing, but like in
(15:33):
New York, you don't need todrive, right?
Take buses somewhere.
So when I moved to Charlotte,North Carolina, it was the first
time I had a license, right?
And I moved there in 2003.
So that was just the craziestthing to people.
And so when I got into stand-up,again, I just started driving,
and I had all these rules aboutdriving.
I don't drive at night, I don'tdrive in the rain, I don't drive
(15:55):
on the highway.
Like I had all of these rules.
SPEAKER_01 (15:57):
I think you still have some of those rules.
SPEAKER_04 (15:59):
I've relaxed them a lot.
I've relaxed them a lot becausenow I drive to Florida in
places.
So trust me, the Lord has reallyrelaxed me on some of those.
But so the funniest thing iswhen I started doing stand-up, I
had a really bad habit ofaccepting gigs out of town and
not knowing how I was gonna getthere.
So then I would, you know, emailsome of my close friends and uh
(16:20):
my life group, and they wouldI'd say, Hey, I have a show
here, and they're like, Allright, we'll drive you.
So it was so I'm grateful.
And it's funny because Iremember having a run in
Columbus, Georgia, and FortWalton Beach, Florida.
And this is when I lived inCharlotte, and two of my good
girlfriends were like, Allright, we'll take you.
(16:40):
And um they put me up, thebooker put me up at like a Super
Eight motel, which, oh my gosh.
And so, which I am a hotel snob,so this was so, but I'm like, I
guess this is a part of payingyour dues.
And so the three of us trying tostay in this one room at a super
eight, and they dropped me offto the show.
They're like, we're gonna cleanand fumigate the room, and then
(17:02):
we'll pick you up when the showwas over.
So I I'm grateful that I've hadthat level of support.
And then over time, I was justlike, and it became a running
joke when people would see meshow up at places at night.
They're like, Who bought you?
I was in control of myself.
So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
That's I mean, that's just interesting because
when I started Stand Up, yeah,people were very surprised.
That was not something anyoneexpected me to do.
But then I had a lot of supportwith my friends as well, and
they would like show up, and Iremember producers or anybody on
the show were like, wow, likeyour friends come.
(17:39):
And to me, I'm like, of coursethey come.
Like I've built thesefriendships.
SPEAKER_02 (17:42):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:43):
And I don't know if that's something like I mean, I
was 34, I think, when I triedstand-up.
Yeah.
And I feel like I had thiscommunity and this base of
friends already who were justlike, we cheer each other on, so
of course we'll show up.
And maybe that was a littledifferent.
SPEAKER_04 (18:01):
I'll tell you this, you know, somebody, I don't even
remember who told me this earlyon when I actually one of the
people who taught me stand upsaid, be careful how you lean on
your friends and family becauseyou don't want to wear them out.
And I found that to be verytrue.
Like I was very sensitive tolike if I had to go to shows, I
wouldn't ask the same people allthe time.
(18:22):
But people want to, when peopleroot for you, they will really
go to bat for you and will helpyou out.
So I think people admired what Iwas doing.
And I, you know, as I'm talkingto you now, I'm just playing the
tape back in my head of so manytimes.
I remember once one of my reallygood friends, I had a show in
Columbia, South Carolina, whichis a little bit uh hour outside
(18:44):
of Charlotte, and it was rainingcats and dogs, and she drove me
to that show.
And then we get to the show, andI'm sitting there waiting to go
on, and I hear a voice in thebackground says, Really, is that
what you're gonna do?
And it was my childhood friend Igrew up with in Brooklyn, New
York, who now lived in Bamberg,South Carolina.
And she drove probably about twosome odd hours just to see me,
(19:07):
and I just started crying.
And my friend who drove me fromColumbia's like, you know her?
I was like, and I couldn't evenspeak.
I was like, I know her, youknow, and she was always like a
big sister to me.
So I again, and to this veryday, like I'm so grateful for
the level of support I'vereceived for the 11 years I've
been doing this.
SPEAKER_01 (19:26):
I think sometimes you can just be surprised by how
much people care.
They do, and people do care.
They do, yeah.
You said you tried stand-up whenyou were 45 and that you're a
proponent of like trying newthings.
Is that something that you'vejust decided you want to
incorporate in your life, or hasit just been something that's
(19:47):
there?
SPEAKER_04 (19:48):
One time I took drum lessons because I love Shelley.
Like I just took that's thecoolest thing to see like women
drummers.
So I took like a drum classbecause I would and I was like,
granted, I'm no Shella E, but itwas so fun to just do, you know
what I mean?
I'm like, I I didn't think I wasgonna be a musician, but I
wanted to do it because it wasgonna be fun.
I think this is the one thing Idid kind of on a whim that I'm
(20:09):
like, oh, this is working out.
Yeah this is a thing.
And so I'm grateful about have Itaken more risks outside of
that?
I don't think that I have.
I think this requires so muchwork that I I want to nurture
this and just be better at it.
And um, that's the thing, youcan always be better.
And as you know, you learn moreabout yourself after every
(20:32):
performance, and yeah, andthat's really the cool part.
And um, so for me, my mind isalways working about how do you
make this thing funny, you know?
And um, like I posted somethingon Facebook the other day.
I was waiting at um the coffeebar in the ship, and an older
white gentleman said to me, HeyTara, we're playing cards, lady.
(20:52):
You want to play?
And I said, Yeah, what are youplaying?
He goes, spades.
And I was like, I'd never knowna white person to play spades.
And I said, I'm sorry, did yousay spades?
And it was so funny to me.
I was like, so I go back to mycabin, I was like, I gotta write
this out.
Like, I gotta figure this out.
But um, so it's just like youcan find humor in everything.
So I want to nurture this giftso much that I haven't picked up
(21:13):
a new thing, like, oh, let's trythis now.
No, this is this is my thing.
SPEAKER_01 (21:17):
Yeah, I once had somebody say to me, because I I
mean, I I think I've tried a lotof new things over the course of
my life.
And I think some of it was like,I just didn't know what what my
interests were exactly.
And I remember this really stuckwith me because it bothered me.
Somebody in my early 20s toldme, like, you have to just like
choose something or you're nevergonna be good at anything.
(21:40):
And I actually strongly disagreewith that to a certain to a
certain extent, because like howdo you know what you enjoy or
what you're going to be good atif you're just like, well, I
started this in high school andnow I went to college and this
is what I'm supposed to do.
If you aren't Googling things todo and just like trying
(22:02):
something, but I do agree withyou that you get to a certain
point of like if you findsomething you want to commit to
and you love it and you'repassionate about it, if you are
letting your time go to ahundred different things, you're
never gonna become an expert insomething.
SPEAKER_04 (22:18):
I agree with that.
You know, it's funny.
Years ago, um at my last job, wehad a lunch and learn type thing
with a woman who was I guess shecould be considered a life
coach.
And she was really great aboutjust talking to people about
like what they're supposed to bedoing in life.
And I've never been that personthat felt like this is what I'm
(22:39):
supposed to be doing, this isit.
And I always admire people whoknow, right?
Yeah, like I have a nephew, andmy nephew, from the time he
could talk, said, Auntie Tara,I'm gonna be a doctor.
Like Auntie Tara, I'm gonna be adoctor.
He is a doctor today.
Like, and I tell him all thetime, and he thinks it's weird
when I say, I say, you're theonly person in the history of my
(23:00):
life who I know who said theywere gonna do something, and
they the thing they did likeAuntie Tara, I'm gonna be a
doctor.
He is a doctor now, you know.
But back to this life coach, shewas telling people, and I I was
sitting in the room thinking,geez, I don't know what I want
to do.
Like, I admire all of mycoworkers around me because they
seem to have it figured out.
So finally we we took a we had abreak and I kind of went off to
(23:22):
the side because I didn't wantto ask a question in front of
everyone.
And I said, How do you know whenyou're doing the thing you're
supposed to be doing?
And then she stopped the breakand said, Everyone, Tara, ask me
a question.
I think it's important foreverybody.
And I was like, oh gosh.
She goes, She asked me, How doyou know when you're doing the
thing you're supposed to bedoing?
And her answer to me was, whenyou're doing the thing you're
(23:43):
supposed to be doing, everythingyou have done up until that
point will have made sense.
And she's right.
And I thought that was so spoton.
Because it's just like when youasked me about, you know, has my
work in communications impactedthe pe um the comedy, and I was
like, it has.
So it's just interesting becauseI never thought about it when
(24:04):
she said that.
But as I look back, I was like,this all makes sense now.
SPEAKER_01 (24:09):
Yeah, okay.
I've never heard someone saythat.
Huh?
I've never heard anyone say thatbefore.
So I'm now I'm thinking throughmy own life.
I know, right?
SPEAKER_04 (24:18):
She's like, you know, and it's just like a lot
of times when we have hardthings happen, it's just like we
hate that they have to happen,but it's just like it was
necessary to get us to the nextpoint.
Very kind of wax on, wax off,Mr.
Miyaki type stuff, you know.
It's just like, why am I doingthis?
But when you get on the otherside of things, sometimes it
makes more sense.
Yeah.
You know, I never forget, andit's not to bring the room down,
(24:41):
um, the uh Hall of Fame footballcoach Tony Dungey.
Um, his son, unfortunately, hadtaken his life.
And I remember there was a quotefrom his sister.
And I think the young man, andplease forgive me if I get this
wrong, I think he might havebeen 18 or something like time,
or 17 or something like that.
And I remember there was a quotefrom the sister that said, I
wish he'd just suck around to be19, because sometimes things
(25:05):
make more sense to you.
And and I that just crushed mebecause yeah, sometimes when
you're in the moment, you don'tsee uh why things are happening.
But then when you get on theside, you say, Oh, okay, that
needed to happen for me to gethere.
SPEAKER_01 (25:19):
Yeah, no, I I would definitely agree with that.
And I mean, I think iteverything kind of works
together.
SPEAKER_04 (25:26):
It totally does.
SPEAKER_01 (25:27):
But you can't see that because you're until you
can take a step outside yourstory and kind of like see the
plot a little bit better.
SPEAKER_04 (25:35):
And you think about with comedy, comedy is an
interesting thing in and ofitself because as much as you
don't want to, you all play thecomparison game.
SPEAKER_00 (25:44):
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (25:46):
You know, it's just like never.
I know, right?
Never do that.
That's why you get off socialmedia for like weeks at times.
But um, but you know, whenyou're on social media, you're
seeing someone's best self,right?
They got this opportunity, thatopportunity, and you're like, no
one called me for that, youknow.
Um, but you don't know what theyhad to do to get to that
opportunity.
Like I tell one time I did avideo.
(26:07):
Um, I was driving from uhNashville to Charlotte for a
show, and I stopped and did avideo when I stopped at Bucky's,
gotta stop at Bucky's.
And I said, This isn't thepretty part of comedy, right?
Like you see the stuff on stage,what you don't see is me having
to get up at five o'clock in themorning to go drive seven hours,
you know, to do the show.
(26:28):
This is this is the grind of it.
So a lot of times you can getfocused on, you know, oh, this
person is this, but everybodygets their turn.
And you clap for people whenit's their turn because you want
people to clap for you when it'syour turn.
SPEAKER_01 (26:40):
Is there anything you'd say you've like learned
about yourself through becominga full-time comedian that you
find surprising?
SPEAKER_04 (26:49):
That's a really good question.
What have I learned aboutmyself?
Um, to give myself grace.
I never forget, matter of fact,that Fort Bal Fort Walton Beach,
Georgia run I was telling youabout earlier.
The Georgia show was inColumbus, Georgia, and I didn't
have my best set.
It was not great.
And I remember thinking, God,and I just lamented over it so
(27:09):
much, so much so I wasfeaturing.
So the headline I kept going onand on about like, how come I
couldn't get him?
And I guess he got tired ofhearing from me.
And he said, Do me a favor, whenwe walk out this venue, leave
that here.
And I said, You know what?
He's right.
So to give myself more grace,like if a show does not go as
great as I hope it would, justknow there's another one.
(27:32):
And then I'll never forget, andI tell the story all the time.
Once when I was in Charlotte, Iwas in uh a comedy festival, and
I had what could be the visualrepresentation of the book,
Alexander's Terrible, Horrible,No Good, Very Bad Day.
Because I left my house, um, gotto the parking garage, realized
(27:54):
I did not, and went to go payfor parking, realized I left my
wallet home.
So I was like, oh my gosh, I hadto call my friend, she paid for
parking, get to the venue, geton, do the show.
We had like three people in theroom.
They had set the room up so darkI couldn't see, so I fell off
the stage.
Like off the stage.
And it was funny because I hadmy good friend taping the show.
(28:17):
And the only thing I could thinkas I'm tumbling in the front row
is please God, let him havestopped the tape.
Right.
And so when I got to the tape,and I watched it, he had stopped
it.
But I fell off the stage, gotback in my car, accidentally
jumped on the highway at night.
And now these were in the earlydays of the rules, broke all my
rules.
And I remember going home andI'm like, I'm not coming back
(28:39):
out the house ever again inlife.
And I had a show at the samevenue the next day, and I was
like, I'm not going.
People saw me fall, it was bad,but I'm like, this is not life.
You know what I mean?
What life is is that you havethese moments, you dust yourself
off, you learn from it, and yougo back.
And next day I didn't fall offthe stage, I remembered my
wallet, I didn't get on thehouse, like you know what I
(29:01):
mean.
So just giving yourself graceand just and permission to say,
okay, this might not have beenthe way you want it, but you're
still okay.
You're here for a reason.
You know, one of the things Ihave I think about this and it
makes me emotional.
I was on a ship once and um Iwas performing, and the lady had
(29:25):
her back to me, and I couldn'tquite understand what that was,
but then I realized she wassigning my show for someone who
was hearing impaired in theaudience.
So when I realized what she'sdoing, I, you know, I slowed
down and enunciated my words,right?
And at one point I saw the womanwho she was signing for laugh,
and I had to look away because Ialmost started crying because I
thought I said something thatmade this woman laugh.
(29:47):
You know, like she couldn't hearit, but it was translated to her
in the mail, and I was justlike, what an amazing gift.
So those moments far outweighfalling off stages, and
hopefully I'm not falling.
SPEAKER_01 (30:05):
I mean, something you maybe would never have
thought of early on in yourcareer, and you're like, now I
know.
Yeah, now I know.
SPEAKER_04 (30:12):
I know what I was like, where's the stage?
So I've talked about it on stagenow.
You have?
Do you have a joke about it?
Oh, yeah.
Okay.
You make a joke abouteverything.
SPEAKER_01 (30:20):
Yeah.
Like, I don't think I've heardthat.
Also, like, at least it's notonline somewhere, right?
SPEAKER_04 (30:26):
I don't think it is.
I don't know.
Me falling.
No, thank God, no.
SPEAKER_01 (30:29):
He stopped the tape.
SPEAKER_04 (30:30):
Yeah.
No.
SPEAKER_01 (30:32):
Yeah.
Have you found that like yourdefinition of success has
changed over the years?
The more experienced you get?
SPEAKER_04 (30:40):
I don't success.
That's a really good question.
Because what does success meanfor you, right?
Right.
Yes, it has changed because Ithink when you think success,
you think you know, money andfame and those things would be
nice.
But you know what?
Success is when I'm building mytime.
(31:01):
Like I the thing when you're onships, you have to have a lot of
material, right?
And I'm I'm successfullybuilding time.
I'm successfully building funnyjokes that are landing with the
audience.
I'm successfully, you know,having impact on people because
the thing that makes my heartleap for joy.
(31:23):
When you're on the ships, youhave um PG shows and you have
R-rated shows.
Do you do R-In's R-ratedmaterial?
So I do not do R-rated material.
So if you know me, you know youwill not find vulgarity or
profanity at my show.
You'll get innuendo, but youwon't get that.
The first ship I did, my phonebill was so expensive because I
(31:44):
spent the whole time texting andcalling my mom, like they're
gonna hate me because I don't dothis.
But what has been wonderful,every single ship, I get no less
than three to five people say tome, Thank you for being funny
without being vulgar.
So it empowers me to want tocontinue to just do that.
So that's success for me.
SPEAKER_02 (32:05):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (32:05):
So it looks it means different.
And listen, I'll take the fameand the money.
I will.
But right now, the success isknowing that I'm having impact
and I'm getting better.
Because I always want to bebetter.
SPEAKER_01 (32:19):
Yeah, I think some of the most memorable
experiences for me as a stand-upare not the shows where I
remember doing really well oranything.
Like I honestly, I thought Iwould remember things like that.
I actually don't so much.
But I do remember individualpeople who specifically women
(32:41):
would come up to me afterwardand say, I related to this joke,
I related to this joke.
And like one woman, this waswithin like my first two months
of doing stand-up, so I know Iwasn't killing it.
Um, but I remember her coming upafterward and saying, Where can
I see you next?
Because I want my daughter tocome see you.
Wow, like I just remember that.
(33:03):
That's good, that's half praiseright there.
Yeah, it's just so different.
SPEAKER_04 (33:07):
Yeah, I I love that.
Oh my goodness, that makes youit it's interesting um because I
I so relate to that.
I did uh uh a show for a charityevent.
I don't even know if it wasearly.
Again, I have no sense of days.
It might have been early thisyear, it could have been last
year, but um after the show, andI was this was back in Charlotte
(33:28):
where I lived, and um a womancame up to me and she gave me a
hug and she said, You know, Isaw you before, and I said, You
did.
She said, The day I saw you wasprobably the worst day of my
life.
Like she got some really badnews, and she said, The last
thing I wanted to do was come toa comedy show, but my friends
dragged me to that show, and youmade me feel so much better.
(33:52):
And I hugged her, and we'recrying, I'm crying, she's
crying.
But that impact and youmentioned about daughters I was
on a ship, uh this was lastyear, and it was a mother and a
daughter who kept coming to myshow, and the daughter looked to
be in her 20s, but I noticedevery time the mom would talk,
so it made me think the daughtermay have been nonverbal.
(34:14):
And um they came to all myshows, and some of my shows were
repeats, and they came torepeat.
And so they said, Well, cometomorrow.
I said, You've seen that show,and I said, No, we're still
coming.
And when I tell you they came toevery show.
So the last show, the mom comesup to me and said, My daughter
made you this and wondered ifyou'd wear it.
So it's this cute littlebracelet, and I'm like, I'm
(34:38):
gonna wear it every day.
Are you kidding?
Because it reminds me of theimpact you have.
Like, it could be just writing ajoke to you, but you don't know
what it can mean.
And so when I was like, Whenthat lady in Charlotte told me,
like, I didn't know that she washaving that moment, but yeah, I
thank God for using me to be ablessing to her that it helped
her out that day.
SPEAKER_01 (34:58):
I I also know just from knowing you that you care a
lot about mentoring other womenin comedy.
SPEAKER_04 (35:06):
Yes, yes.
I that was very important to me.
When I was in Charlotte, theyaffectionately called me the
godmother of Charlotte comedy,which I I wore that very
seriously because I knew what itwas like when I came up in stand
up.
I remember coming up in standup, and there were two women who
were kind of above me.
(35:27):
And I would have loved for themto say, hey, come on in with
Shade Robs.
And I had the opportunity totell one of them that recently,
not too long ago.
I said, you know, when I cameup, like you, you didn't kind of
embrace me.
And I really wish you wouldhave.
And she said, I'm really sorry.
But she had her own thing goingon, so I don't blame them.
But that's one of those thingsthat when it happens to you, you
(35:49):
don't want it to happen tosomeone else.
So when I was in Charlottespecifically, I was just like, I
made a point of just like tryingto support the women, go to your
shows.
And I remember when I wasleaving, I was moving away, and
I said to one girl, I said, Iwant to apologize to you because
I didn't get out to as many ofyour shows as I'd like.
And she looked at me like I wascrazy.
I said, No, it's important in meto try to come out and support.
(36:11):
And she looked at me again, andI was like, it doesn't mean
anything to you, but it meantsomething to me.
And I'll never forget when Ifirst started doing stand-up,
and when you're doing comedy canbe very clickish, as we know.
And I remember being in uh thecomedy zone in the club, and I
was sitting by myself, everyonewas off in their little sets,
and no one talked to me.
(36:32):
And a comedian, a veterancomedian, sat at the table I was
sitting at and said, My name isDeacon, what's your name?
And I never forgot that.
I used to tell him that I said,Dick and remake is a terror, I
don't remember that.
But that moment stayed with me.
That so now when I see someonewho I feel is to themselves or
whatever, I'm like, hey, youwant to sit together or
(36:53):
whatever?
Because I know what it feelslike to not feel a part of
something, and I never wantanybody to feel like that.
SPEAKER_01 (36:59):
Yeah, and I I mean the courage I think it takes to
even show up to an open mic totry something or to say yes to a
show, and then you go and youfeel kind of like nobody's
trying to make everyone's likeavoiding eye contact, and so it
it really matters when someonejust like uh notices you as a
human, like walks up in anysetting.
SPEAKER_04 (37:21):
Yeah, but there was a a female comedian once and
I've seen her at a few openmics, and this was when I lived
in Charlotte, and I saw at a fewopen mics, and she had this
opening joke uh she would dowhere she said, I know you all
hate me because I'm pretty.
And I saw her do that a fewtimes, and I look at the women
in the audience and they'relike, you know, so probably
(37:43):
after about the fourth or fifthtime, I said, Hey, let's chat
for a second, and you know, andI I lovingly I said, Can I offer
you some feedback?
And she she was very receptiveto I said, because here's what
you've done, you've lost all thewomen.
I said, You've literally lostall the women in the and they
wanted if they wanted to likeyou, they don't like you now,
(38:04):
you know.
And so she received it, and soit was good recently, and I
won't say a name, I gavefeedback to a comic here.
It wasn't a female comic, but Inoticed he was doing something
that instantly you're gonna losehalf the room if you do it.
And he was I'm grateful that hewas very receptive to it.
And so it was funny because whenI saw him do that joke the next
(38:25):
time, I noticed the tweaks hemade.
I said, There you go.
SPEAKER_01 (38:28):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, because that moment youwalk on stage, the first thing
out of your mouth can just makeor break your set.
SPEAKER_04 (38:35):
An audience decides, we we all learn this.
The audience decides within thefirst few seconds whether or not
they like you.
So if you come out hot and it'sjust like, hmm.
But so even if your set is notthat strong, but when you first
get on stage, you're like, welike her.
Yeah.
We're gonna give her a littlebit, we'll give we'll give her a
couple of minutes, you know.
But if you come out and you'renot, I remember once going to a
(38:56):
show and I watched a guy, andthis this was insane.
And he insulted the room, halfthe room, then they just weren't
looking at him, and he turnedhis back to them and like did
the show to the other half ofthe room.
I was like, Yeah, and I waslike, she's like, you know,
things not to do in common, youknow.
That's so interesting.
But again, we learn aboutourselves with every
(39:19):
opportunity.
I think be open to feedback,constructive feedback.
But then you also have to knowwhen feedback is not for you.
Like I remember once a comediansaid to me, You need to be more
animated on stage.
That's not my vibe.
So I thankfully, I said thankyou.
So you have to chew the meat andspit off the bones.
What's for you is for you, butthen a lot of time feedback is
(39:43):
not necessarily, you know,depending on who you get it
from, it's not always warranted.
Again, it's just where is itcoming from, right?
And and that I'm open to uh Iremember doing uh a joke at New
Material Night at Zany's and itdid not land.
And I remember, and and aveteran comedian who I respect a
(40:03):
lot said, you know, Tara,sometimes the joke doesn't need
to be that long.
And I said, you know what, he'sright.
And so when I went back andlooked at and I cut it, and
that's actually what I've beendoing a lot on ships, like
sometimes I have these longjokes, so I'm like, it doesn't
need to be that long.
And I never forgot that feedbackbecause he was absolutely right.
Because it's like you think itneeds to be this big grandiose
thing, and it doesn't.
(40:24):
And um, so again, it's dependenton where the feedback is coming
from.
And if it makes sense for you,just because someone gives you
feedback, you don't necessdoesn't necessarily mean you
need to take it, you just verybe very polite, thank you so
much, and just like okay, it'snot for me, but thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (40:41):
I would be remiss if I didn't share how we met.
Yes.
Um, it was at the winery showout in I think it was Del
Monico.
SPEAKER_04 (40:50):
Del Monico Winery, great room.
SPEAKER_01 (40:51):
It was my second show, and she was that only your
second show?
SPEAKER_04 (40:54):
No way, you did well.
SPEAKER_01 (40:56):
He had no idea.
So really, yeah.
Somebody had like Mary, our ourfriend Marianna.
She'd had to drop out due tosome health reasons.
We actually mentioned it on thepodcast a long time ago now.
Um I took her spot, and thenliterally Sean found out like as
(41:19):
I was like walking on stagebecause he was like, We have a
newer comedian, you know, thisis like what show is this for
you?
SPEAKER_04 (41:26):
I was like, second, he was like, Oh my gosh, that's
funny.
You did well at that showthough.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (41:33):
And afterward, you were so kind and said, You're a
very good writer, you shouldkeep going.
And that really encouraged me.
Oh, good.
I'm glad to hear that.
SPEAKER_04 (41:42):
You are, you're very smart, very funny.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (41:47):
Um, so what are you obsessing over lately, Tara?
SPEAKER_04 (41:51):
Okay, here's what I'm obsessing over.
Okay, I am a police proceduralgirl.
Like, I love a good policeprocedural, right?
Like Chicago PD, my jam.
Can't wait for the new season tostart.
So I have discovered this olderpolice procedure that I'm sorry
I missed when it came on calledBosch, which is on Prime Video.
SPEAKER_01 (42:12):
I've heard of it, but I've never watched it.
SPEAKER_04 (42:13):
It's so good.
And so it's like, I'm I shouldbe embarrassed to say this, but
I'm not.
I like binge seven seasons ofBosch in two weeks.
Like, so good.
And the title character, um, themain character, the actor Titus
Welliver, I think that's how youpronounce that.
He has like this brooding thingthat I sew him into.
(42:35):
Like, I love that.
And so that's why I like ChicagoPD, because Hank, you know,
whatever, you know.
But I'm into the brooding guys,right?
So I binge-watched like sevenseasons of Bosch in two weeks,
and then there's Bosch Legacy.
SPEAKER_01 (42:49):
Oh, there's more than more, right?
SPEAKER_04 (42:51):
It's like a sequel.
So there's like three seasons ofBosch Legacy.
SPEAKER_01 (42:55):
Is it a sequel or like a spin-off?
Like same characters ordifferent things?
SPEAKER_04 (42:58):
It's a sequel.
But what's smart about, andthey're based on the Michael
Connolly novels.
And I used to work andpublishing, so all these names
are like really kind of cool toknow.
But anyway, so um, what's coolabout the Bosch Legacy, it's
like a Bosch universe.
So like some of the people whoare in the original Bosch show
up in Bosch Legacy, and it'skind of really funny.
(43:19):
So I just finished the thirdseason of Bosch Legacy, and it's
super sad.
But wait, there's more.
There's a spin-off of BoschLegacy called Ballard.
So that's what I'm obsessingwith the whole Bosch universe.
So I'm gonna watch Ballard.
It won't be a lot of Bosch init, but we'll see.
So that's what I'm obsessingover.
Like, like I said, I love a goodum police procedural, and Bosch
(43:43):
is just filling that cup for meright now.
SPEAKER_01 (43:45):
That's amazing.
Is that your recommendation aswell?
That's my recommendation aswell.
SPEAKER_04 (43:49):
Like if you like, because you can get so lost in
it, and it was just like reallygood.
If you want something, no, I'mnot even gonna recommend that
because it was so naughty.
I was like, I don't even I don'teven want that on my resume.
No, no, I'm I'm scratched what Iwas gonna say.
SPEAKER_01 (44:04):
But um I I like I like this recommendation because
I see it pop up on Prime and I'mlike, I I like so I really like
Monk.
Did you get it?
SPEAKER_04 (44:15):
I love Monk.
My grandmother and I used towatch Monk together.
SPEAKER_01 (44:19):
So my mom and I started watching it together
when she was here for a while,and because I had never really
wanted to watch it before, andthen I was like, this is so
good.
SPEAKER_04 (44:29):
Did you watch the movie?
SPEAKER_00 (44:30):
I did, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (44:32):
That was powerful because it had a little bit of a
dark twist that you didn't kindof see coming, but it was so
powerful.
But the message in that though,right?
Is like he got to see all of thepeople who whose he impacted,
his work impacted, and that justthat imagery just really took me
(44:52):
out.
But uh, so Bosch is not monkbecause monk is more sanitized.
SPEAKER_00 (44:57):
Okay, gotcha.
SPEAKER_04 (44:58):
Okay, just go.
We want you to go into promvideo.
Like, yeah monk is on cozy TV,so yes, Bosch is on prom video,
so it's a little different.
But if you love a good, likeagain, I'm a police procedure
girl, but and so you do that.
But but I so I'm also excitedthat all my new shows are coming
back.
Like again, um FBI.
(45:20):
I'm still a little bit bummedthat they canceled most wanted
international.
Um, but Chicago PD.
Oh gosh, I love Chicago PD.
Yeah.
The brooding gods.
I love the brooding types.
SPEAKER_01 (45:31):
Women always do.
Exactly.
Go for the bad boys.
Yeah.
Uh well, my recommendationtoday.
Oh, my tablet just fell asleep.
Give me one second.
I'm like, well, that means I wassuper into our conversation.
Oh, well, thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (45:44):
No, it means I talked a lot.
SPEAKER_01 (45:46):
That's great.
Um, okay, so I like to listen toMel Robin's podcast.
Ah.
She's loving.
SPEAKER_04 (45:52):
What is what's the the thing to Let Them.
Let them.
Let them.
SPEAKER_01 (45:56):
Yeah, her book Let Them and all the things.
I think that is the big thingreally with her.
Yeah.
Um, but she had one recentlythat I really have enjoyed.
It's how to get things done,stay focused, and be more
productive.
Oh.
So this was from September 3rd.
And that so one thing I've beenkind of reflecting on since
being back from Scotland, whereI had like all this time to be
(46:20):
outside and hike and all thisstuff, is where am I putting my
time and am I being likeintentional about it?
Because I feel like I've beenoverly busy.
And what really stuck out to mewas this guy was talking about
because she was interviewingsomeone, he's talking about how
our society looks at like ifyou're working, it's the hours
(46:42):
of like how many hours and thatmeans you've been productive,
versus what are like the actualoutcomes and how much time do
you really have to put into itto get the outcome that's
needed.
SPEAKER_00 (46:52):
Right.
That's good.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (46:54):
And like as a lawyer, it's like the billable
hour.
SPEAKER_00 (46:58):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (46:58):
I'm a pretty efficient lawyer, which is not
necessarily rewarded in law.
Um, and so I've really struggledwith that because I'm like, I'm
getting a great outcome for myclient, my client's happy.
Isn't that the product that wewant?
Yeah.
But I'm I'm the product.
Right.
And so it's really challengingto balance that.
SPEAKER_04 (47:17):
That's good.
SPEAKER_01 (47:18):
I'm real into this podcast.
SPEAKER_04 (47:20):
I'm like, gosh.
You're like, I need you to getreflective.
I need you to do this and farmore.
Well, you and then wait aminute.
The good segue is like, how areyou spending your time?
Binge watching Bob.
SPEAKER_03 (47:33):
That was not intentional.
SPEAKER_00 (47:34):
Wait a minute.
SPEAKER_03 (47:35):
Okay, so there's seven seasons, ten episodes a
season.
I've spent 70 hours watching thepolice procedure.
SPEAKER_00 (47:43):
And I defense, I travel a lot, and it's my damn
thing that I like to do.
Okay, but I like to spend likean entire day just like binging
stuff too, just to work clear.
I I have I am really into Loveis Blind and Oh my god, I can't
Okay.
SPEAKER_04 (48:00):
I feel better.
SPEAKER_01 (48:01):
Yeah, like I Okay, yeah, we have time for this.
Um okay, so when I go to thesauna on our on my last episode,
I actually shared that I waslike looking forward to going to
the sauna because I'd get towatch the next Love is Blind UK
episode.
And I did.
And there's this guy on therewho he instead of saying he
(48:22):
follows his heart, yeah, he'slike, I follow my spleen.
His spleen.
I'm like, where is your spleen?
SPEAKER_04 (48:28):
I was gonna say, Where is your spleen?
SPEAKER_01 (48:30):
I don't even know.
I shouldn't.
SPEAKER_04 (48:31):
Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_01 (48:32):
And in the last one, he's like, you know, I need to,
I just know I need to like trustmy spleen, but it's really quiet
right now.
SPEAKER_04 (48:38):
Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_01 (48:40):
Like, what are we talking about?
SPEAKER_04 (48:42):
That is so bizarre.
SPEAKER_01 (48:43):
So this is how partially how I use my time.
It's fine.
Yeah, it's okay.
SPEAKER_04 (48:46):
Okay, because I don't feel judged.
Oh god.
Like in my other defense, I didwatch episodes of Botch while I
was on the elliptical.
So I did get some exercise.
SPEAKER_01 (48:54):
This is a no judgment zone.
I just happened to bring arecommendation that was a little
more serious.
In the past, I've brought, Idon't even know.
What I I don't even know.
Red bicycle food, it's great.
Pizza.
SPEAKER_04 (49:10):
Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01 (49:11):
My recommendations.
SPEAKER_04 (49:12):
Love it, love it, love it.
SPEAKER_01 (49:14):
All right, Tara, what are you looking forward to
this week?
SPEAKER_04 (49:17):
I am, oh, I'm looking forward to this week.
I'm heading to Hilton Head,South Carolina because my church
is having their women's retreat,and I get the pleasure of doing
comedy.
That's amazing.
For my church's women's retreat.
And um, we have the retreatevery other year, and uh two
years ago I got to do it.
And oddly enough, I want to saythis my church, the park church
(49:39):
in Charlotte, the way theysupport it, we talked about
support earlier, the support andthe love they show me is just
unmatched, and I'm grateful.
And um, oddly enough, two yearsago when I was at the women's
retreat, then I had confided toour first lady that I was
thinking about leaving my job todo stand-up full time, and she
recommended that I read thisbook by the actress Yvonne Orgy
(50:02):
called Bamboozled by Jesus.
And it was phenomenal.
But it basically talked aboutshe's a believer, and it talked
about how all of the similar towhat I told you, like how
everything makes sense leadingup to that.
So it was fantastic.
So that book was veryinstrumental in saying, Yep,
it's time to pull the trigger.
That's right.
So I'm looking forward to goingto Hilton Head this week and
being with those women and alsogetting poured back into.
(50:25):
Like I'm looking forward to todoing comedy, but I'm also
looking forward to resetting andjust getting re-energized and
you know, being around among abunch of wonderful women.
How about you?
SPEAKER_01 (50:36):
Yeah, um, I I'm actually gonna be able to catch
up with an old friend overcoffee.
So I'm very excited.
We I feel like we are constantlymissing each other, don't live
in the same state anymore.
And I found out he's coming hereand I was like, ah, we gotta get
something.
So I'm looking forward to that.
Tara, where can people find you?
SPEAKER_04 (50:56):
I would love if people found me on social media
platforms at Tara Brown Comedy,mainly Instagram and Facebook.
I have a TikTok, I don't do muchon TikTok, but if you find me on
Instagram and Facebook at TaraBrown Comedy, that would be
great.
Thank you.
Yeah, thank you so much forbeing here.
Thank you for having me.
This was fun.
The time just flew by.
I know it did.
Thank you.
Thank you.
(51:17):
And all the best to you.
And I'm so glad you're doingthis.
You have great guests on, andyou look like you're having a
lot of fun doing it.
SPEAKER_01 (51:24):
I'm having a blast.
SPEAKER_04 (51:25):
Good.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (51:26):
Thank you guys for listening.
Um, please subscribe whereveryou listen to your podcast,
check out the YouTube, and wewill see you next week.
The end.
Thanks for listening to mycrunchy zen era.
Please subscribe and leave areview wherever you listen to
your podcasts.
This podcast is produced by me,Nicole Swisher, and my good
friends Summer Harcup and LizCoulter.
(51:48):
Editing is by Drew HarrisonMedia, and recording is done by
Logos Creative in Nashville,Tennessee.
Thanks for hanging out.
We'll be back next week.
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